


Shutter Speed

by whogivesacare



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Background Archie and Veronica, F/M, Model! Betty, Photographer! Jughead, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2018-11-30 20:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 51,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11471397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whogivesacare/pseuds/whogivesacare
Summary: In which an amature photographer puts an ad on Craigslist for a model to build his portfolio. Featuring annoying best friends who just mean well.





	1. The Ad

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I originally posted this on tumblr, but decided to bring it here too! It's my first Bughead fic so I hope you like it!  
> I in no way own rights to the the TV show or the characters.  
> Please let me know what you think :)

_“Amature Photographer in Need of Model for Experiemental Career Starter”_

__

__

___Are you looking to get a jump into a modeling career? Or do you just like having pictures taken of you? If either of these apply to you, this listing is perfect for you!_  
_I am an “amature photographer” looking to build up a portfolio, and I am in need of the perfect model for it._  
_You don’t need to have experience with modeling for this gig. I am not looking for a runway model or anything. You just need to be able to sit still and listen to any directions I may give you._  
_Dress and makeup will be left to your discretion. Details on that will be further discussed when chosen, as well as details on payment._  
_All I need from you right now is to reply to this with a sample picture (nothing fancy, just need to see how you look on camera), your first name and email address, and 3 facts about yourself._  
_Excited to meet you all through this lovely website.  
_ _-JJ_

“Is this stupid? This has to be stupid, right?” 

Archie doesn’t even look up from his spot on the couch, eyes trained on his phone. “No, Jughead. This is not stupid.”

“Do people even go on Craigslist anymore? Will people even answer? I probably sound creepy, honestly. Arch, this is stupid, why did you talk me into doing this? I’m horrid at photography!” Jughead throws his head down onto the desk, groaning loudly. Archie sighs heavily and gets up, walking over to his best friend and reading the ad over his shoulder. 

“Jug, this sounds just fine. Yes, people still use Craigslist and no, you are a great photographer. You won the county fair’s photography contest three years in a row. You beat the photographer for the daily paper!” Archie slaps his friend’s back enthusiastically, eliciting yet another groan from him. He rolls his eyes and moves his finger to the mousepad on the laptop, hitting the post button before Jughead rethinks anything. “There -- the replies will come in in no time!”

Jughead lifts his head to look at the screen, groaning once more and slamming the laptop shut. He looks up at the tall redhead, shooting his best evil glare. “Have I ever told you that I hate you?”  
Archie grins down at him, swiping the beanie off his head and ruffling his hair, earning a very manly squeal from Jughead. “You love me and can’t live without me. Now how about we order a pizza and play video games for the rest of the night?” He laughs as Jughead steals the hat back, already walking to the kitchen for the takeout menus they keep stashed in a drawer.

“Only if you’re buying!”

\---

Five hour shifts at the cafe were hard enough without a headache. Betty woke up with a migraine that lasted even as she went to work. Now, as she unlocks the door to her apartment and steps in, she just wants to take a hot bath and go to bed early, but she has no such luck. 

“Betty! You’re finally here, I’m so glad. I wanted to get your opinion on this patio set I found. The weather is getting nice again and we don’t have anywhere to sit out on the deck and I think this would totally --” Betty raises a hand to cut off the excited raven-haired girl. Veronica quickly shuts up, sensing her friend’s distress. “Are you okay? Was work not good today?”

“I have had the worst headache all day. And I know, I know we were supposed to go to that fondue place but I really just need to lie down. I’m sorry, V.” Betty moves to the couch and lays across it, closing her eyes and placing a pillow over her face. Veronica sits on the chair perpendicular to her, setting the laptop down on the coffee table and taking in her friend with concerned eyes.  
“Don’t apologize Betty, it’s okay! We’ll stay in and have a girls night. I’ll let you use my aromatherapy soaps so you can take a nice bath, and I’ll make our own fondue and feed you chocolate covered strawberries while we watch romcoms. How does that sound?” Veronica replies giddily, taking the pillow from her face. 

Betty peers over at her, her lips quirking up a bit. “The lavender soaps?” she asks, her headache lessening at just the thought of them. Veronica nods and stands, holding her hands out to help Betty up. Betty takes the offer and follows her to the bathroom, letting Veronica set everything up for her. Before she leaves she thanks her with a hug, because she really couldn’t ask for a better best friend.

She met Veronica freshman year at NYU, being randomly paired with her as a roommate. When she first saw her, she was certain they wouldn’t get along. Veronica was visibly rich, wearing pearls with every outfit and flaunting her money. But she was also the kindest person that Betty had ever met. The moment she walked into the dorm, Veronica greeted her and complimented her outfit, even helping her organize all of her things. Betty had not expected it from her, but they instantly became best friends. Veronica showed her the ways of New York, which she very much needed considering she grew up in a small, boring town. They remained friends the whole year and decided to get an apartment together sophomore year, getting even closer because of it. They are going into their second year there now, staying in the city for the summer. The apartment was lavish because Veronica’s parents were paying for most of it, and Betty couldn’t really complain. Just a perk of having Veronica Lodge as her roommate and best friend.

A knock breaks Betty out of her relaxation, Veronica telling her that the fondue is waiting for her when she’s done with her bath. Betty reckons she spent long enough in the tub, her fingers pruny and her headache, thankfully, gone. She wraps a towel around herself as she steps out of the tub, draining the water and walking into her bedroom, thankful for the ensuite. She throws on a pair of pajama shorts and an oversized NYU sweatshirt before stepping out of her room. Veronica had set up the fondue on the coffee table, complete with strawberries, angel food cake, raspberries, bananas, and marshmallows. She is currently sitting on the couch, searching through a handful of DVDs for something to watch.

“Ronnie, did you really make all of this?” Betty asks, doubt in her voice. Veronica never really cooked growing up, always having things served to her.

The other girl looks up at her with the biggest smile on her face. “I did! I looked up a recipe on Pinterest. Although, I may have had to borrow some stuff from neighbors, but it was all me!” Veronica beams, seeming so proud of herself. Betty smiles and sits on the couch beside her, reaching over and dipping a strawberry in the melted chocolate. Veronica finally picks a movie, Leap Year, and settles back with her laptop again, chewing on a marshmallow. “You know that patio set I was telling you about? Well, I bought it; we have to pick it up next Wednesday. How exciting!”  
Betty chuckles, picking another strawberry to eat. “Since when do you use Craigslist?”

“Since I found you can easily get cheap furniture to complete your home. Plus, it’s really fun to just browse! You never know what you can find.” Veronica types away at the keyboard, staring intently at the screen. 

"Yes, exactly. You never know what you can find, V. There are creepy people on there.” She gives her a stern look, Veronica rolling her eyes and staring at her with an arched brow.

“Betty, I know what to look for. I am not going to get in any trouble, trust me.” Betty levels her with a look before turning back to the television, knowing when to back down from a fight. She’s heard the horror stories about websites like that, but she knows Veronica is both tough and smart. She watches the movie, munching on the treats and ignoring Veronica’s random comments about her Craigslist findings. In the movie, Anna and Declan are crashing the wedding when Veronica calls Betty’s name repeatedly, trying to get her attention. 

“Ronnie, we really don’t need any more furniture. We have no place for it.” Betty says in a monotonous tone, keeping her eyes trained on the movie.

“It’s not furniture, Betty, it’s a gig!” Veronica exclaims, angling the laptop and pushing it towards her. “And you need to reply to it!”

This gets Betty’s attention and she snaps her head to look at the grinning girl, her face illuminated by the computer screen. “Why would I do that? I just told you how I feel about Craigslist.”

“Because,” Veronica says, dragging out the vowels, “This gig literally screams you. It’s an amature modeling gig --”

“Okay, now I know you’ve lost it because no part of that screams me,” she snorts, looking back at the movie. 

“That’s exactly why it’s perfect for you! You don’t think you can do it, which is the reason that you should!” Veronica claps her hands to emphasize her statement, grinning at Betty. The latter turns back to her, officially thinking she has gone insane. She voices this, which causes Veronica to roll her eyes. “Betty. Think about it. This is an amature photographer, looking to build up a portfolio. Not professional, so not high-strung. The ad says you don’t need experience, and you just need to sit still and follow directions, which you are a pro at. You just need to send in any picture of you and then three facts about yourself. It’s as simple as that!”

“If it’s so simple, why don’t you do it then?” Betty mutters, glancing away from the laptop.

“Do you really think my ego needs that?” she questions, raising her eyebrows. Betty considers that and realizes that no, Veronica Lodge does not need any ego boosting. 

“What if it’s a murderer? Or some crazy pervert?” she asks, her eyebrows knitting together in worry at all of the possible outcomes.

“I will make sure that doesn’t happen. I will do a full background check on him and will come with you if you really want me to,” Veronica assures, smiling again. 

Betty bites her bottom lip, thinking it over. “I won’t get chosen,” she says quietly, bringing her knees up to her chest. “You know there is gonna be actual models replying to that. Or girls that should be models.” 

“There’s no harm in trying,” Veronica reasons, sliding over to her. 

She sighs, putting her legs back down. She looks at the laptop, reading over the ad again. “Only if you reply for me,” Betty finally agrees after a minute. A smile spreads across Veronica’s entire face, her eyes sparkling and face literally glowing. 

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, I most definitely will!” Veronica squeals, positioning the laptop back on her lap. “You are so gonna get this gig,” she mutters, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Betty instantly regrets her decision as soon as Veronica goes to her Facebook and searches through her photos. “We are gonna need to pick the best picture to send. And when I say best, I mean the hottest. And that is gonna be hard because you are always hot.”

She laughs at the wink Veronica throws her way. “You flatter me, V.” 

“I’m serious, Betty. You are gorgeous and every photo is perfect,” she tells her, scrolling through countless photos. “But I think this one is a winner.”

Betty looks at the screen to see a photo from about a year ago. It was Christmas Eve and they were snowed in for days prior, not being able to go home for the holidays. The snow, however, did not stop Veronica Lodge from having a spectacular holiday bash with friends from their old dorm. They dressed in their cutest holiday outfits, per Veronica’s request, and of course pictures were taken. Veronica took this particular one because she could not stop complimenting Betty’s outfit. She had chosen a dark red turtleneck sweater with a leather skirt and tights, her hair styled up and her lips painted with dark red lipstick as a last minute decision. Looking back at the picture now, Betty can admit that she did look different, if anything. She normally strays away from lipstick and dark colors but in the picture, she looked good.

“I think you’re right,” Betty says quietly, staring at the picture. 

Veronica smirks, copying the picture onto the post. “Knew it. You’re welcome for my amazing photography skills. Now for facts.” At this, she stops completely, her head snapping towards Betty. “Betty, you have to have the best facts. Like, incredibly interesting facts.”

“Wow, V, thanks for boosting my ego.” Betty rolls her eyes, occupying herself by dipping a slice of banana in the chocolate.

“Betty, you know that’s not what I meant! I just mean we have to really intrigue this person, okay? You can tell by their writing that they’re going to be picky. So you have to stand out.”

“Why can’t I just be me?” Betty asks, not taking her eyes off the movie.

“You can! You will! But you just have to pick the best facts about you. Three facts, Betty. I think you should choose something about your family, something you like to do or something that inspires you, and something unique about yourself.” Veronica taps her chin, staring at the computer screen in thought.

“Give it to me,” Betty tells her, reaching for the laptop. She hands it over and watches as Betty immediately starts typing away.

“What are you writing?” Veronica inquires, leaning over to see. She reads them as Betty finishes, smiling slowly. “Yes, these should be perfect. Make sure to remember me when you’re off in Paris, America’s Next Top Model.”

\----

A few days have passed since Jughead even checked on his Craigslist ad, and for two good reasons. At first, he didn’t even want to see because he was mad at Archie for forcing him into it, and who knows who was going to answer. The second reason he didn’t check was because he honestly forgot without Archie bugging him about it. Four days after he posted it, he found himself on his computer, opening the website. 

To his surprise, he actually has a lot of replies. He scrolls through them, seeing countless boring selfies with basic facts that are not at all intriguing.

“Wow, your favorite color is pink. And so is yours. And yours,” Jughead mutters to himself, shaking his head. There are a few mildly interesting ones, but selfies are not telling of how photogenic someone is. Nor is a professionally photoshopped photo, because do they think he’s an idiot?

He hears Archie come back from his run but doesn’t turn around. His eyes are stuck on the screen because suddenly, he has found the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. Her eyes are striking and Jughead finds himself lost in them, imagining how mesmerizing they’d look in person.

“She’s pretty,” he hears from behind. 

Jughead snaps out of it, clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah. Pretty, yeah,” he stutters, trying not to stare at the picture too long. He scrolls a bit to look at the facts, hoping they stand out just like her eyes.

_Hi! I’m Betty. I’m not normally asked for random facts, so not sure how great these are. For starters, I want to be a journalist and my literary hero is Toni Morrison. My parents are in charge of our smalltown newspaper back home, so when I was young I used to write up articles and they would pretend to publish them. And also, I love fixing up old cars and motorcycles with my dad. Not that interesting but that’s me. :)_

Jughead smiles as he reads her post, trying not to be too endeared by the smiley face. She included her email at the end, as well as a “hope to hear from you!” to top it off. 

“Is she the one, then? Since you’ve been staring for ten minutes, and all,” Archie smirks, poking his cheeks.

“Oh shut up,” Jughead grumbles, swatting his finger away. 

Archie just laughs and leans closer, looking at the picture on the screen. “Well?” he asks, glancing expectantly at his best friend. 

Jughead bites his lip, staring at the picture. He isn’t sure what exactly it is about her, but he is sold. “Yeah, yeah. She’s the one.”


	2. The Verdict

If it were up to Betty, she would have never checked her email for a response from the ad. But Betty was living with Veronica Lodge, who does not take no for an answer.

“If you would just give me your password I wouldn’t have to bother you with it,” she argues, watching Betty log into her account. Betty rolls her eyes and chooses not answer. The page loads and she scrolls past spam emails from school and apartment building, stopping when she sees one from an unknown email address.

“Have you gotten any emails from a _jjones3@gmail.com_?It looks weird,” Betty asks, reluctantly clicking on the email. Veronica makes a bored noise, examining her newly pedicured nails and not paying Betty any attention. Betty gasps when the email loads, eyes going wide. “Ronnie!”

Veronica’s head snaps up, frantically looking to her. “What? What happened?” Betty doesn’t verbally answer, choosing instead to point repeatedly at the computer screen. Veronica leans closer to read the email, gasping even louder than Betty had.

 _Hello Betty._  
_Thank you so much for replying to my Craigslist post. After much consideration, I have decided to have you as my model. If you are still up for it, we can discuss a time that works for both of us, though I would prefer it to be sooner rather than later. We can also discuss a place, though I am thinking of doing different locations for the shoot if that interests you._  
_Please let me know soon what your thoughts are. I truly look forward to working with you._  
_J. Jones_

Betty stares at the screen, reading the email over and over again. This mysterious photographer, this J. Jones, has chosen _her_ to be their model. Boring old Betty-- a model. Her mother would never believe it.

“Oh my gosh, Betty! You did it!” Veronica exclaims, hugging her tightly from behind.

Betty laughs a little while continuing to stare at the email. “I can’t believe it. It has to be a joke,” she mutters, shaking her head.

“The proof is right in front you. You, my friend, are officially a model and I could not be more proud,” Veronica says, kissing the blonde’s cheek obnoxiously. “I think this calls for a celebration.”

“V, you’re getting ahead of yourself. I haven’t even modeled for anything yet. I still have to answer this Jones person, which is already really weird that they aren’t giving their name? Is it a boy or a girl? It’s kinda creepy actually, and I think this is a bad idea now.”

“You are being ridiculous! They’re just being professional,” Veronica argues. “Now, answer right now and then we’re going shopping so you can have more outfit options to choose from!”  
“Veronica, I can’t just buy a new wardrobe!” she laughs. She goes to compose a new email in response to this Jones person anyway, trying to keep it quick. She confirms that she is in fact willing to model still, ignoring the nagging feeling that she would regret it later. She gives a few times that she was available, and that she is fine with any location. She signs it accordingly, neglecting to put her last name. If Jones can be elusive, Betty can be too. She successfully sends the email and looks back at Veronica with a tight-lipped smile.

“Shopping?” Veronica asks excitedly. Betty nods and stands up, allowing Veronica to take her hand and lead her to the door, grabbing her purse on the way out.  
“I say we go to H&M, yeah? They have good modelling clothes. And don’t worry, it’s on me,” Veronica smirks, waving her shiny credit card. Betty laughs but doesn’t argue because you’ll never win against Veronica Lodge, especially when shopping was involved.

\---

It is in the evening on a Tuesday, so luckily the store is not that crowded. Veronica leads Betty around, pulling clothes off of racks and pushing her to the dressing room to try them all on. Of course, she makes Betty show her every single outfit she has and judges them for her.

“Okay, try that top but with...this skirt!” Veronica picks out an off-white leather skirt, with buttons all the way up the front. Betty raises her eyebrows, looking at her in question. She just rolls her eyes in response, “Trust me. Put it on.”

Betty sighs and relents, going back into the dressing room to change. She stares at her reflection in the mirror, quite pleased with how the outfit looks. It’s a simple white, thin sweater, sort of see through, that surprisingly looks good with the similar colored skirt. She opens the door and steps out for Veronica to see, who claps her hands together joyfully.  
“Yes! It’s perfect! I know you look good in white so I knew you had to wear it, and I am honestly so proud of myself,” Veronica rattles, standing up from the bench. “You take that off and I’m going to go look for a dress for you.”

“V, I don’t need a million outfits. It’s one photoshoot,” she sighs.

“Betty, trust me. There will be more photoshoots once this Jones sees how hot you are on camera,” Veronica smirks, sending a wink her way before going back out into the store. Betty blushes and steps into the dressing room, changing back into her normal clothes quickly. Collecting all the hangers, she takes one last look in the mirror before entering the store again to put away the clothes that both girls decided against. She is about to wander around in search of her friend when she sees her talking to someone across the store. They seem to know each other, her and this tall, red-headed guy who seems to be around their age. Betty doesn’t recognize him so she doesn’t know how close they really are, but she walks over there anyway.  
“Betty! There you are, I was just about to come look for you,” Veronica bursts out. The redhead glances towards Betty in surprise, most likely from how loud Veronica is all of the sudden.  
“Hi V. Uh, who is this?” Betty questions, glancing at the man briefly.

“Hey, I’m Archie,” he says, holding a hand out for her to shake. She glances at it before shaking it, smiling softly at him.

“We had Sociology together this past semester. He was in my study group I told you about!” Veronica informs her, grinning happily.

“Oh, I remember that,” Betty claims, even though she has no recollection and will definitely be asking Veronica about it later. “What brings you here, Archie?”

“I stole one of my roommate’s shirts and may have ruined it a little, so I promised him i’d buy him another one. He’s around here somewhere, probably picking the most expensive shirt,” Archie mutters the last bit, rolling his eyes. Betty can’t hold in her laughter, covering her mouth to try and stifle it. Archie doesn’t seem offended, only smiles down at her.

“Well, Archie, we need to get back to our shopping, but it was really great to see you,” Veronica says sweetly, looping her arm through Betty’s free one.

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll see you around,” Archie smiles at her before looking at the blonde. “It was really nice to meet you, Betty.”

“Oh yeah, you too, Archie,” Betty smiles back, watching as Archie walks away from them. She instantly turns to Veronica, seeing her smirk after him. “Don’t think I won’t ask you about this later.”

Veronica laughs and pulls her to another rack. “Later, Nancy Drew. Now go try on this dress.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Not as long as the first one, but hopefully enough! Hopefully the third chapter will be out soon, but probably not as soon.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Dana
> 
> (follow me on tumblr http://totheheartsthatache.tumblr.com)


	3. The Shoot

“What do you mean you met her?” Jughead asks, walking into their apartment, Archie trailing behind him.

“I mean exactly what I said. I met your model, Betty,” Archie says, like it’s the simplest statement he has ever said.

“I’m confused. How did you meet her, and where was I?” Jughead asks, dropping his bag on the couch and turning around face Archie, who rolls his eyes.

“I bumped into my friend Veronica, that girl I was telling you about from my class? Who I really like and talk to all the time?” he looks at Jughead expectantly, who just shrugs. “Anyways, they were shopping together, and I met her. You were off finding a shirt, and I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d freakout. So I told you now.”

Jughead sits on the couch, looking thoughtful. He stares at the floor, tapping his finger on his knee before glancing back up at his friend.

“What was she like?” He asks quietly, eyes looking hopeful. Archie smirks and plops down on the couch next to him.

“She was nice, really nice. Seemed a bit shy I guess, because I was a complete stranger I’m guessing. But really nice and polite.” He turns to Jughead, smirking and nudging his shoulder. “Even cuter in real life, too.”

“Oh, shut up dude. This is strictly business,” Jughead explains, not able to stop the blush that creeps up his face.

“Oh yeah? Gonna get down to business, in the bedroom maybe?” Archie smirks, continuously nudging him. Jughead takes a pillow from beside him, hitting Archie in the head with it. He just laughs and tries to block it, catching it after a few hits and holding onto it. He grins maniacally at Jughead, who groans and gets up, walking to his room.

“I hate you and I’m never telling you anything about my life ever again,” Jughead mutters as he stalks to his bedroom. 

“Love you too, Juggy!” Archie calls as the door is slammed.

\---

Jughead would be lying if he said he didn't get excited when he saw Betty answered his email. He responds quickly, suggesting a time that works for both of them. He wants the shoot to start at his apartment, since he had the equipment he needs already. He tells her the address, and tells her if she needs to bring someone along to help her with her makeup or anything, she can. He leans back in his desk chair, looking up to the ceiling with his hands behind his head. A small smile plays on his lips as he imagines the shoot in his mind. He wants it to be simple, doesn’t want to go all out for his first shoot. He thinks his apartment has enough good areas to use as a backdrop. And if Betty is willing to do another location, he knows the perfect location. He couldn't wait. Saturday could not come fast enough.

\---

“Elizabeth Cooper, get in here right now!” Betty hears Veronica yell from her bedroom. Confused, she lets herself in, seeing Veronica in the middle of countless clothes and makeup.

“V, what is this?” She asks, looking around the room. She recognizes the clothes they bought the other day sitting on the bed.

“We’re practicing. This Jones said you could bring a friend, which is actually really smart considering we might be dealing with a murderer. So clearly, I am that friend, and since you hardly wear makeup, I will be your artist,” she smiles, holding up a makeup brush. Betty hesitates before sitting in the chair set out for her.

“I don't want anything too crazy,” she says, looking up at Veronica who rolls her eyes.

“Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Now look straight ahead and close your eyes. Don't move at all,” Veronica demands. Betty sighs and obliges, gently closing her eyes and trying not to flinch as Veronica presses the brush against her eyelid. She's thankful she has Veronica to do her makeup for her, because she'd be lost if she didn't. She doesn't know a thing when it comes to makeup, and would end up looking like a raccoon if she tried it herself.

“I don’t want to do anything dramatic since your outfit is pretty soft and simple. And I’m thinking we straighten your hair?” Veronica asks, obviously not expecting an answer. She continues doing Betty’s makeup, rambling on about anything and everything. Betty sits patiently until Veronica tells her she’s finished. She opens her eyes and turns to look at the mirror. She has a brown smoky eye, but not too dark, with a nude lip. 

“V, it’s...wow, it’s really great,” Betty smiles, making eye contact with her in the mirror. Veronica smiles at her, playing with her hair to fluff it up.

“I won’t straighten your hair, you can do that before you go there and I’ll just style it for you. But I’m glad you like it, Betty. You look stunning,” she says earnestly, hugging her from behind. Betty smiles and hugs her arms, staring at herself in the mirror. She was actually starting to get excited for the shoot, but she was trying not to think too much of it. Just the thrill of being a model for someone was great, and it was all that was keeping her going.

\---

“Jug! Ready for the big day?” Archie loud voice asks, making his way into Jughead’s room. The latter groans and covers his head with his covers, curling up underneath.

“I’m cancelling. I don’t want to do it anymore,” he grumbles. He hears Archie laugh before he feels a weight on his bed, Archie laying next to him.

“Come on, it’s not gonna be great. And not just because your model is smoking-” he laughs when Jughead kicks him in the shin. “But also because you are a great photographer and you’d be stupid to waste your talent.”

Jughead grins smugly to himself, popping his head out from under the covers to look at his friend. “Aw, Arch, you love me.”

Archie laughs and punches him in the shoulder, eliciting a laugh. He gets up and grabs the covers on the bed, yanking them off. “Come on, you need to look your best so hop in the shower and I’ll heat up waffles,” Archie says, and leaves Jughead to get ready in peace. He takes a quick shower, playing over how the shoot will go in his head. He has this vision and it is all that he’s been able to think about since he picked the model.

Speaking of the model, he is nervous for Betty. He isn’t sure how she’s going to be-- if she’ll be rude and stuck up, or if she’ll think she’s better than him and will run the shoot herself. The latter would be the worst thing, but he is praying that neither option happens. 

Stepping out of the bathroom, freshly showered and clothed in his classic plaid shirt and beanie duo, he picks up his camera. He was messing around with it the night before, making sure he had everything he needed, and checking a second time to be sure. He took a few practice shots to get used to it again, candids of Archie or some shots out his window. He puts every piece in its case and brings it into the living room, setting it on the table and stalking into the kitchen.

“Breakfast of champions?” he asks, sitting at the breakfast bar to a plate of soggy Eggo waffles.

“Only the best for you,” Archie winks, sitting across from him. They dig in, completely silent as they eat, until Archie decides to break the silence. “What time is she coming?”

“Um, I told her to come at, like, ten. So like, half an hour maybe?” Jughead says with a mouth full of waffles, not even looking up from the plate.

“Are you excited?” Archie asks, his own excitement clear in his voice. Jughead just shrugs, not wanting to get him any more excited. Archie doesn't push it this time, and they settle into a comfortable silence as they finish eating. 

It's not long before there is a knock on the door. Jughead’s head snaps up, looking at Archie with panicked eyes. Archie grins before he runs to the door, Jughead running after him to stop him. Archie gets there first, of course he does, and he swings the door open, grinning at the two girls standing there.

“Veronica! To what do I owe this surprise visit?” Archie asks enthusiastically. The raven haired girl, who Jughead presumes is Veronica, raises her eyebrows at Archie.

“Please tell me you’re not the photographer,” Veronica looks at him incredulously. Jughead thinks now would be a good time to cut in, but Archie beats him to it, turning to the side and bringing Jughead next to him.

“Nope, that would be this guy right here,” Archie grins, slapping him in the back. Jughead finally notices the blonde standing just outside of the doorway, watching with amused eyes.

“Uh, hi. I’m Jughead. Photographer, I guess,” he says awkwardly, adjusting the beanie on his head. Betty smiles at him as Veronica shoots her hand out for him to shake.

“Veronica Lodge, Betty’s agent and best friend,” she smiles sweetly. Jughead laughs a bit and shakes her hand.

“No, not agent. Just overbearing,” Betty counters, giving her friend a pointed look, who just rolls her eyes. Archie clears his throat and looks at Jughead, motioning to the rest of the apartment.

“Oh! Uh, come in, both of you. Um, I take it you need to get ready, Betty, so you can use Archie’s room,” he tells her. Archie makes a noise of protest, but Jughead simply elbows him in the side, keeping his face straight. 

“Uh yeah, it’s the one right there,” he motions. The girls both thank them and go off to the room. As soon as they’ve disappeared behind the door, Jughead turns on his friend and punches him in the chest. “Ow! What was that for?”

“For being an idiot. Don’t ruin this for me, Arch,” he says, moving towards his camera to set it up.

“How could I possibly ruin it?” Archie scoffs, plopping himself down on the couch. 

“By being your annoying self. And doing everything you just did. I don't want to scare her off before the shoot even starts,” Jughead mutters, fiddling with his camera lens.

“Jug, it's fine, she won't run off. Your shoot will go perfectly,” Archie assures him. He sighs, putting the camera down just as the door behind him opens. He turns around as Betty steps out, and he almost cries when he sees her. She's wearing all off white-- a leather skirt that buttons up along the front, with a thin, somewhat see-through sweater on top. Her hair is straightened and her makeup is simple, but she looks beautiful.

“Wow, Betty, you look incredible!” Archie speaks for him, Jughead too busy staring. He catches himself when Betty looks to him, picking up his camera again to distract his hands. He knows Archie is probably amused by him, but he'll make a point of scolding him later.

“Thanks, Archie. All credit goes to Veronica though,” she smiles as said girl walks out of the room.

“She's being modest. It's pretty much natural,” Veronica smiles, seating herself next to Archie. Jughead finally pulls himself together and looks up, clearing his throat.

“Shall we?” He asks Betty. She nods shyly and takes a step closer to him, just as Archie shoots up.

“Ronnie, why don't we go get some coffee down the street? Let these two be,” he suggests. 

“That's a great idea Archie,” she smiles, grabbing her purse and standing up. She follows Archie to the door, looking back at Betty before leaving. “Let me know if you need anything!”

Archie winks at Jughead as he allows Veronica to walk out the door. He closes the door behind them, leaving Jughead and Betty alone to awkwardly stand in the living room.

“So, um, where do we start then?” Betty asks timidly. Her voice breaks him out of his trance, his head turning back towards her.

“Right, right. There's good lighting by the window, so we can go there,” he tells her. She nods and walks over to the window, Jughead following her. “Have you modeled for anything before?”

She laughs a little at that. “No, nothing. Unless you count Veronica forcing me to pose for a camera.”  
He laughs a little bit too, holding the camera up to see how the frame looks. “Alright, well you just have to let yourself loose, really. Just relax, don't think too hard about it. Try leaning on your left side against the window frame, with one hand on it.” She obliges, her hand delicate on the frame, her other just hanging there.

“Okay, now bring your right hand to your bicep, and gently let it sit there.” She brings her hand up like he says, adjusting her left arm to make it look more natural, making Jughead smile. “You're a natural.”

“Oh, thanks,” Betty blushes, smiling slightly. Jughead brings the camera up again to test it, making a pleased sounds. 

“Okay, stay just like that. Keep your face relaxed.” He snaps a few pictures with that pose, then changes the angle. He steps up to her, getting a close up before he brings the camera down.

“Okay, that was really great. Now lean back against the windowsill in the middle of the window. Yeah, right there.” Betty leans against the windowsill, looking up at him expectantly. “Okay, now for your hands just-” he finds it easier to show it to her rather than explain. 

He gently touches her hand, glancing at her to see if it's okay, and then brings it to rest on the windowsill beside her, knuckles facing out. “Okay, do that with the other hand. And look at the camera, keep your face serious.”

She does so, and he snaps a few pictures, looking through them when he's done. He looks back up at her, seeing her watching him patiently.

“Try looking to your left and slightly down.” She does exactly that and Jughead thinks it should be illegal for someone's profile to be just as beautiful. He bites his tongue to refrain from saying anything, snapping pictures instead.

They try a few different poses in different areas of the apartment. Against the wall, sitting on the coffee table, even out on the fire escape. Betty nails every single one, eventually becoming more confident in herself. 

“Would you be up for a field trip?” he asks at some point, Betty lounging on a chair.

“Yeah, sure. I could change too, I have another outfit,” she tells him, sitting up straight.

“Perfect, yeah. Um, I can tell Archie and Veronica to meet us there if you want,” Jughead suggests, looking at his camera.

“Whatever is fine with me,” she smiles. He nods and smiles slightly, making her smiled wider. “I'll go change then.”

Jughead nods as she goes back into Archie's room. He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, dropping down onto the couch with his camera in his lap. He texts Archie, out of courtesy, and secretly hopes him and Archie are having too great of a time on their date. He's having fun with Betty and doesn't want his friend to ruin it.

Thankfully, as Jughead is putting his camera in its case, his friend texts him back to tell him he's taking Veronica out for lunch and that he should ‘have more alone time with Betty *wink wink*’. Jughead rolls his eyes but smiles to himself, just when Betty walks back out. She's wearing a jean jacket now, with a white t-shirt underneath. Her black jeans are skin tight and rolled up to show her ankles, paired with black converse. She looks more casual, her hair tied up in a ponytail and her lipstick lighter.

“It's not as formal, I hope that's okay,” she says, looking down at herself.

“It's perfect,” Jughead blurts out. Betty looks at him, blinking in surprise. “Um, I mean. For where we’re going. Casual.”

Betty smiles a bit, eyes amused as he stutters. He clears his throat and stands up, grabbing the camera case. “Archie and Veronica are on a date. Lunch. So they can't come,” he tells her.

“Oh, that's okay. Probably better this way,” she says, shrugging. Jughead tries not to think about it too much, it doesn't mean anything.

“Ready? We can walk,” he says, motioning towards the door. She smiles and walks out of the apartment, leaving the door open for him. He takes a deep breath before following her, convinced that Betty will be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They met! Aren't you excited??
> 
> Sorry it took so long, I'll try not to take as long next time!
> 
> Love you all and thank you for all the lovely comments! It really keeps me going :)
> 
> -Dana
> 
> (as always, follow me on tumblr http://totheheartsthatache.tumblr.com )


	4. The Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far. Hope you like it as much as I do!
> 
> Also I don't know if anyone has noticed the pattern with the chapter titles, but I almost broke it with this one but didn't have it in me, so don't be scared off by the title. It's much more innocent than it sounds.

“Where are we going?” Betty asks, trailing just a foot behind him. They had been walking for a while, just reaching the outskirts of the city.

“You'll see, don't worry,” Jughead tells her, not even looking back as he leads her.

“Are you taking me off to kill me?” Betty asks jokingly, a smile playing at her lips. That brings a laugh out of him, turning around to smile at her.

“You've foiled my plan. At least I already have the pictures, though,” he teases. She laughs as he turns back around and they keep walking. Shortly, they reach a railroad junction that appears to be unused. There an abandoned train on one of the tracks, with only a few cars. Off to the side there's a small wooden track, probably for the controls. Betty steps ahead of Jughead to look around, taking it all in.

“How'd you find out about this place?” she asks, looking at him again. He's crouching down, his camera case in front of him on the ground as he gets his camera together.

“I like to explore. Freshman year was...a rough year for me, so I'd always go off alone for hours and just explore the city. I came back here a few times after I initially found it. It’s just really cool...the emptiness of it,” Jughead explains, standing back up. Betty looks around once more, crossing her arms.

“Bit eerie to me. I wouldn't want to be here alone,” she says, looking at him. He smirks and walks towards one of the train cars, nudging her as he passes by.

“Good you're with me then. Now come on, get on this car,” he tells her, motioning to a car with the door open, completely empty inside. Betty walks over and Jughead holds a hand out for her. She gratefully takes it and climbs onto the car with his help. “Just sit down with your legs hanging down. Pose like you were leaning against the window.

He takes a few pictures before she changes her pose, leaning against the frame, parallel with the train car with one knee up. Then she stands in the doorway, casually standing with a hand in her pocket. They move to the wooden shack, Betty leaning against the wood, trying to look serious. Jughead makes it hard for her by constantly cracking jokes, Betty laughing at every single one. He smiles each time she laughs, and she swears she hears the camera click a few times, but she won't dwell on it.

“Wanna try climbing that?” Jughead asks after a few shots, pointing to a large metal beam tower.

“Are you insane? Do you really want me dead?” She asks incredulously, staring at the tall structure. Jughead laughs and shakes his head, walking over to it.

“I mean like up one beam. Like sit on it,” he says, looking at her with bright eyes. She sighs and walks over, immediately climbing up it with ease. “See? Not bad at all!”

“Oh shut up and take the picture,” Betty mutters, posing on the beam. He laughs and snaps a few pictures, before telling her to get down and stand behind the beam, leaning her arms on it. More camera clicks, and a few more poses, and then Jughead seems satisfied.

“I think I have all I need. We can head back to my place now, you can get changed while I upload all the photos. Then maybe we can look through the photos, if you want,” Jughead suggests, putting his camera away.

“Yeah that sounds really great. I probably have to wait for Veronica anyways,” she tells him, waiting to the side. Jughead snickers and puts the strap on his shoulder, walking over to her.

“Yeah, I wonder how that's going,” he says as they start walking.

“I didn't even know they were talking until I met him the other day. And that was a really weird encounter,” she laughs slightly. She's silent before something seems to suddenly dawn on her, as she quickly turns to him. “You were that friend!”

“What?” He doesn't have to feign confusion at her statement. What friend was he and what was she talking about? 

“The one that was shopping with Archie! He ruined your shirt and was buying you a new one the same day we were there,” she exclaims. Now he knows what she talking about.

“Oh. Right, that was me. Funny we were both there but didn't meet until now,” he tells her, looking ahead at the sidewalk.

“Yeah, it's almost like fate,” Betty teases, nudging him with her elbow. Jughead's breath hitches but he tries not to be noticeable, keeping a calm face as he smiles at her. He doesn't think into it, just keeps walking, because she's just joking. Jughead Jones does not believe in fate.

They walk in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, walking through the city. He steals a few glances at her, watching her look at her surroundings. She seems so curious and Jughead should not find it as endearing as he does.

“So, Jughead,” Betty states, causing him to look at her. Her eyebrows are raised as if she's questioning something, and he just looks at her in confusion. “That can't be your real name.”

“You're right, it's not. It's a nickname I've had since I was a kid,” he explains, adjusting the strap on his shoulder.

“No offense, but that's a horrible nickname,” Betty laughs.

“Trust me, the real thing is way worse,” he tells her. He looks at her and notices the mischievous glint in her eyes, instantly knowing what she's thinking. “Don't even ask, I’m not telling you.”

Betty pouts and crosses her arms over her chest, and Jughead is so endeared by her. He laughs lightly and drops his head to look at the sidewalk. He adjusts his beanie again, a nervous habit of his, as they settle back into silence. They reach his apartment complex a few minutes later, Jughead using his key to get in and leading her up to his apartment. He holds the door open for her once they reach it, Betty smiling her thanks.

“Are you hungry? We can order pizza or something. I don't know how long Archie and Veronica will be, and I don't want you to starve,” he says as he puts his camera down on the couch.

“That sounds really great actually. Thanks,” Betty smiles.

“How does meat lover’s sound?” Jughead asks, getting out his phone and going to the number he already has saved. 

“That sounds amazing. You order while I change real quick?” Jughead nods, calling the number as she walks into Archie's room and closes the door. He places the order, which they say will take about 20 minutes. He puts his phone down and goes to his room to retrieve his laptop, bringing it back to the couch and sitting down. 

He plugs his camera in and is starting to upload the photos as Betty walks back out. She's wearing the same jeans, but has put on a green tank top. Her hair is back up in a ponytail and she seems to be wearing less makeup. She smiles at him and sits on the couch beside him, glancing at the laptop.

“That's a lot of photos,” she comments. Jughead shrugs and leans forward to put the laptop on the coffee table as they load.

“Could've taken more, but I didn't want to bore you,” he says. She laughs and brings her legs up onto the couch, tucking them underneath herself.

“You wouldn't have bored me. I actually had a really fun time doing this, so thank you,” she smiles at him sweetly.

“No, I should be thanking you Betty. You did a great job and I'm really glad you replied to my ad,” Jughead tells her honestly. She blushes a little and looks down at her lap, playing with her hands.

“Thanks, Jughead. I'm glad you picked me,” she says softly, glancing up at him through her eyelashes. Jughead swallows, staring into her eyes before glancing down at her lips. They part slightly as he stares, but he quickly catches himself, looking at the laptop.

“I almost forgot about payment,” he says quickly, standing up. “Is a check okay? I could give you cash, but I'd have to give it to you another day.”

“No! I don't need payment,” she says quickly, starting to stand up.

“No, Betty, I need to give you something. You did this incredible thing for me, it's not like you did it out of the kindness of your heart,” he says. He turns to go to his room to get his checkbook, but stops when he feels her soft hand grab his wrist. He slowly turns around to look at her, looking down at her hand then up into her eyes.

“Jughead, I did not expect anything when I replied to your post. Veronica practically forced me to, because I didn't think I could. And I know you said there'd be payment, but I promise I don't need it because this was really fun and I already have a pretty good job and really, I should be the one paying you for your services,” she rambles, not letting go of his wrist the entire time. He blinks at her, surprised by her words.

“But...I can't just, not give you anything..” he mutters, looking down at her hand again.

“I won't take money from you,” she firmly states. He sighs, sitting back down in his spot. Her hand slowly retreats back to her own lap, watching him expectantly as he bites his lip, thinking.

“What if I take you out to dinner? As a thank you,” Jughead suggests quietly, glancing up at her. Betty smiles again, nodding her head.

“I'd like that,” she tells him. 

“We should probably exchange numbers then. You know-” Jughead clears his throat, adjusting his beanie. “-for business purposes.”

“Right. Of course,” Betty giggles. She pulls her phone out just as the buzzer to the apartment goes off. Jughead jumps up and runs to the door, pressing a button. 

“Must be the pizza then,” he states, as if it wasn't obvious. Betty smiles at her phone, causing Jughead to smile as the pizza guy knocks on the door. Jughead opens it and pays the guy, taking the pizza over to the couch. “Dig in!”

They sit on the couch and eat their pizza, Jughead putting the tv on to some random, old movie. The watch and eat, making a few comments here and there. 

When the pizza is finished, mostly by Jughead, he takes the box to the kitchen to dispose of it, and gets her some water from the fridge. He walks back to find Betty with his laptop on her lap, scrolling through something. He sits back down, putting the water on the table, and leans over to look at the screen. The pictures uploaded, and she scrolls through them all, completely silent. That makes Jughead nervous, because he can't decipher her reaction.

It's not until she's gone through all of the pictures that she finally says something. She's still staring at the screen, but her hand shoots out to rest on top of his, gripping it tightly.

“Jughead,” she says simply. He looks at her, eyes widening slightly as he prepares for the worst. 

“You don't like them?” He asks quietly, glancing at their hands. She snaps her head to look at him.

“Are you kidding? I figured you'd be good but...these are incredible Jughead!” She exclaims, squeezing his hand. He laughs nervously, glancing away.

“I'm not that good,” he starts, but Betty cuts him off with a scoff.

“Don't be modest. You know you're good,” she says, looking back at the screen. He turns back to look at her, watching her as she scrolls through the pictures slowly. “How did you make me look so beautiful,” she whispers quietly to herself, as if she's not expecting Jughead to hear her.

“I didn't do anything, Betty,” he says gently, turning his hand over to squeeze hers back. She looks back at him with wide eyes, mouth gaping open slightly. “Cameras only capture the truth.”

Betty stares at Jughead, her eyes searching his. He holds her gaze, almost trying to make his words stick. Betty feels herself leaning in slightly, until the front door swings open and slams against the wall.

“Honey! I'm home!” Archie calls from the doorway. Jughead quickly pulls his hand away and shifts slightly away from her, looking at the door.

“You're going to break the door one of these days and I won't be paying for a new one,” Jughead tells him. He adjusts his beanie again, as well as his collar, but tries to be inconspicuous about it.

“Jughead Jones not spending money on anything, what's new,” Archie laughs, walking into the room. Veronica follows behind him, watching Jughead and Betty with curious eyes as she settles on a chair. “How was the shoot?”

“Good. How was your date?” Jughead retorts, trying to avoid details for now. Archie doesn't seem to mind and just grins at him.

“I thought it was great, what about you Ronnie?” He asks, looking back at the girl.

“Oh yes, it was great. Archikins is a real gentleman,” she smiles. Jughead shoots a smirk at Archie for the nickname, who just glares right back. “I'm exhausted though, so we should probably get going. Right, Betty?”

At the sound of her name, Betty breaks out of her trance, looking at her friend. “What? Oh, yeah. I'm tired too,” she says. 

“Great, I'll get your stuff,” Veronica says happily, standing up and walking to Archie's room. Betty stands up just as Archie sits on the opposite side of Jughead. She looks down at Jughead, nervously playing with her hands again.

“Um, thanks, again. It was really fun,” she tells him, smiling slightly. He stands up too, her eyes following him as he does.

“Yeah, it was. Thanks to you too, I guess,” he says nervously, mentally slapping himself at how stupid he sounds. She laughs lightly but doesn't get a chance to say anything as Veronica comes out, carrying everything they came with. 

“Ready?” She asks Betty, who nods and walks over to the door. Veronica says a general goodbye as she walks out, but Betty stops in the doorway and turns around to them, lifting her hand in a small wave.

“I'll see you guys,” she says before closing the door behind her. Jughead just stares at the door until Archie yanks him down onto the couch, laughing.

“I don't know what just happened, but I know it was super weird to be a part of. So please, tell me everything,” Archie demands, fixing him with a serious look. 

“Nothing happened. She’s nice, we had fun during the shoot, that’s it,” Jughead answers him. He grabs his laptop and opens it to see the pictures, pausing to look at them. Archie smirks and glances at the screen.

“Nothing happened, huh?” he asks teasingly. Jughead exits the page and glares at him. Archie laughs at his reaction, shaking his head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

\----

“So, how was it?” Veronica asks as soon as her and Betty step into their apartment. They set everything down on the dining room table before moving to the sofa, Veronica watching her expectantly. 

“It was fun. I didn’t think it would be but he’s really nice and fun to be around. He’s an incredibly good photographer, too. He showed me the pictures afterwards and I was actually amazed,” she tells her. Veronica smiles widely, hugging her suddenly.

“I am so glad you did this! Because you are so beautiful, Betty, and I’m glad there’s someone that you are willing to let capture it,” she says, squeezing her tight. Betty laughs slightly, hugging her back as she is reminded of what Jughead had told her just before she left.

“That’s funny, actually. When we were looking at the pictures, I commented that he made me look so beautiful, and he said he didn’t do anything, and that cameras capture the truth,” she mutters, smiling slightly at the memory. Veronica pulled back immediately, staring at her.

“He said that?” she asks, Betty nodding in return. Veronica blinks in slight shock, but then smiles slowly. “Betty Cooper, that boy was flirting with you.”

“What? No! He was being nice,” she uselessly argues. Veronica shakes her head and grabs Betty by the shoulders.

“Don’t deny it Betty. I could tell something was up when Archie and I walked in. You guys were so close and now it makes complete sense!” the raven-haired girl exclaims, shaking Betty in excitement.

“V, I just met him. It was just a professional thing,” Betty retorts, pulling away from her grasp.

“Okay. Did he pay you?” Veronica asks, crossing her arms. Betty opens her mouth to answer, but shuts it because no, Jughead did not pay her. She bites her lip and Veronica raises her eyebrows. 

“He didn’t, did he?” she asks. Betty sighs and shakes her head, eliciting another grin from Veronica. “Not professional then.”

“He said he’s going to pay me by buying me dinner!” Betty says in defense.

“So a date?” Veronica asks, grinning even wider.

“No, not a date. We’re friends, if even, and he’s just being nice because I refused to take money from him. Not a date,” Betty firmly says.

“So you have absolutely no attraction to him whatsoever?” Veronica questions, raising one eyebrow at her.

“I didn’t-- I mean- Veronica stop it with that look, I know what that look is. We’re friends. Maybe,” Betty stutters out. Veronica hasn’t stopped grinning for the entirety of this conversation, and Betty is tired of it.

“I have a phone call to make. This is big news, Betty. Big news!” Veronica exclaims as she jumps up from the couch and practically skips to her room.

“What are you talking about, what big news? Who are you calling?” Betty asks, but the only answer she gets is a closed door. Betty’s eyes go wide in slight panic, standing up to yell. “Veronica! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!”

When no answer comes, Betty sighs and goes to her own room. Whatever Veronica has planned, Betty isn’t going to find out until it happens, and that scares her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! As always follow my tumblr (totheheartsthatache) if you want to ask me questions, send one-shot requests, or see exclusive pictures relating to the story!
> 
> -Dana


	5. The Email

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best, but I got it done!  
> I appreciate your comments, and encourage them, because it really helps me with my writing and motivates me to get it out faster. 
> 
> Enjoy!

He didn’t get her number.

They spent the whole day together. They got along and had a great time. They complimented each other, they shared  _ multiple  _ moments. He basically asked her out on a date and he forgot to get her number.

Of course he has her email and could easily contact her through there. But you can’t exactly ask someone out on a date through email.

“Not a date,” Jughead reminds himself. They had just met, and barely knew each other. He just wanted to repay her, just two friends casually getting a meal together.

He could also get the number from Archie. But that would mean having to talk to Archie, having to explain to him why he needs the number in the first place, and Jughead would  _ never  _ do that.

For the next few days Jughead tries not to sulk about it, just tries to focus on work and editing the photos in his free time. They’re all amazing, and he still can’t believe how lucky he is that Betty responded to the ad. He barely has to edit the pictures, mainly just fixing the background and a few filters here and there. If he stares a bit too long at a few of his favorites, then that’s his business. 

On Wednesday he meets with Professor Reynolds, the professor that he’s been working with. He took her photography class last semester, and she connected him with an internship because of how impressed she was. She was the one that asked for his portfolio, which consisted of photos from his shoot with Betty and a some old works he has done over the past few years. 

When he gets back from his meeting, Archie appears to be missing. If Jughead had a guess, he’d say he is either at the gym or with Veronica, but he’s leaning towards the latter. He assumes his friend won’t be back for a while, so he settles onto the couch and takes his laptop out of his messenger bag. He's been thinking about Betty since she left and he's driving himself crazy with the fact that he didn't get her number. He's so desperate that he decides to send her a quick email, simply mentioning that he neglected to get her number before she left, and that he's hoping she is free Friday evening so he can repay her in dinner. It's a simple few sentence email, completely harmless, yet Jughead still hesitates before sending it. He's still afraid of coming on too strong, and he reads it over about three times to ensure that he's not. His cursor hovers over the send button, taunting him, and he can almost hear Archie's voice telling him to press send. Working up some courage, he presses the button and shuts the laptop, deciding to leave it be until he absolutely needs it. He just hopes he gets a response from her.

 

\----

 

“How can someone have absolutely no social media! It's 2017!” Betty hears Veronica yell from the kitchen. Curious, she walks in to find Veronica leaning over the breakfast bar, Archie sitting next to her peeling a banana.

“Um, what's going on in here?” Betty asks cautiously, lingering in the archway. Veronica doesn't answer, furiously typing on her phone, but Archie looks up at her and smiles.

“Oh, hey Betty! How's it going?” he asks, taking a bite of the banana. Betty steps further into the kitchen, pulling the stool out across from Veronica and sitting down.

“Um, pretty good, yeah. What's all the yelling about?” When Betty asks this, Veronica slams her phone down and looks up at her with wide, frantic eyes.

“Jughead Jones has no social media whatsoever!” She yells too loudly. Betty and Archie both wince and make eye contact with each other, both deciding not to say anything and let Veronica continue. “I don't understand how that is possible. It is the 21st century, everyone has at least one kind of social media account! But not Jughead Jones apparently!”

Betty clears her throat slightly, bringing her hands together on top of the counter. “Um, why does that matter?”

“ _ Because _ , Betty, you didn't get his number and you need to get in touch with him somehow!” Veronica exclaims incredulously. Betty sees a hint of a smirk on Archie's lips, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t know why you're so concerned about this, V. I already told you it's not a date,” Betty tells her. This spikes Archie's interest apparently, causing him to look curiously between them.

“Wait, what's not a date?” he asks. Betty looks at him, trying to see if he genuinely doesn't know or if he's just lying, but she can't tell. 

“Your dear friend Jughead asked our little Betty here on a date, but they never exchanged numbers so they haven't spoken all week! I tried looking on every single platform and there is absolutely no sign of him. It’s like he doesn’t even exist,” Veronica exclaims. Archie finishes off his banana, shrugging as he throws it away in the garbage. 

“He’s just not that kind of person, I guess. He’s private,” Archie shrugs. He sits back down beside Veronica, who just stares at him. 

“What do you mean private?” Betty asks this time, leaning her elbows on the table top. Archie looks at her, mouth opening slightly to say something but then he stops himself, furrowing his eyebrows. The two girls watch him curiously, waiting for him to finally answer.

“He would kill me if he knew I was telling you guys this, but Jughead doesn’t have many friends. He’s always had a hard time letting people in for as long as I’ve known him. I’m lucky to be friends with him, but our dads were good friends in high school so it naturally carried on. But he’s just not really a people person, I guess,” he explains. Betty takes in his words, nodding slightly. She could tell that Jughead was shy, based on how nervous he was when they first met. But he didn’t seem to be very closed off throughout the photoshoot-- he seemed like he was having a nice time. 

“Private or not, he cannot leave betty hanging like that,” Veronica says, crossing her arms across her chest.

“V, he’s not-” Betty starts to answer, but is cut off by her phone dinging to signify a notification. She glances down, expecting to see a text from her mother or some reminder, but what she sees actually puts a smile on her face. “He just emailed me.”

Veronica gasps and grabs the phone, Archie looking over her shoulder with a grin on his face. Betty considers grabbing the phone back, but sees no harm in them reading the email. She assumes it’s just a follow up from Saturday, a harmless email. She assumes wrong, because suddenly Veronica is squealing and fanning herself, Archie bursting out in laughter.

“He asked for your number! And he asked you out again!” she squeals. Betty quickly grabs her phone back, reading over the email. Jughead does, in fact, ask for her number, and also asks if she is free friday for the dinner he had mentioned earlier. She smiles to herself, quickly replying with her phone number, and a confirmation that friday works for her, adding a smiley face at the end for good measure. Veronica and Archie smile at her, and Betty quickly excuses herself to avoid any further questions or comments. She knows she will get enough of that from Veronica on friday.

 

\----

 

Jughead is nervous--no,  _ beyond _ nervous. He’s standing outside the diner where he’s meeting her. He looks up at the familiar sign, taking a deep breath. He’s nervous about bringing her here, because this is  _ his _ spot. It’s the closest he can get to Pop’s back at home, and he likes to come here when he needs to get a coffee late at night, or when he needs to be reminded of home. He has even kept it a secret from Archie, not wanting to see his pitiful look when he tells him the reason. He thinks he’s safe with Betty though, because she doesn’t know. She won’t look at him with sad eyes and treat him like a charity case like Archie does.

He sees her before she sees him. She’s wearing a light pink blouse and blue skinny jeans, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looks up at the sign and checks her phone to see if she’s at the write place, finally making eye contact with him and smiling. She  happily walks over, and Jughead stuffs his hands in his pockets, unsure of how to greet her. He wants to think that they’re friends, or at least on the path to becoming friends, but he doesn’t think they’re close enough to hug, and they’re way past shaking hands.

Betty seems to think the same thing, because she suddenly stops right in front of him, arms raising slightly before she snaps them back to her sides, her hands clenching into fists. Her smile gets wider, if possible, and Jughead can’t help but adjust his hat. He glances at her fists as she unclenches them, before he finally says something.

“So I hope you’re hungry, and are ready to have one of the best burgers in town,” he says with a slight chuckle. Betty keeps the smile on her face, nodding.

“I didn’t eat lunch just to save room for this,” she tells him, laughing lightly. Jughead tries not to wonder if she’s actually joking, instead opening the door for her and letting her step inside. He follows her in and leads her to a booth by a window. As soon as they sit down across from each other, a waitress comes and brings them menus. Betty opens hers up but Jughead doesn’t bother, having had the same order every time he comes in. Betty’s eyes scan the menu, and Jughead’s eyes scan Betty. Her nails are painted a light purple, the paint chipping on a few fingers. She’s wearing small diamond earrings, and her blue eyes don’t seem as bright as he remembers. Regardless, she’s still beautiful, and he nearly chokes when her eyes flick up to meet his.

“How’s the chicken sandwich?” she asks, a smile playing on her lips from catching him staring. He clears his throat, glancing down at his closed menu then back up at her.

“Um, I’ve never had it actually. I get, like, the same order every time,” Jughead tells her, looking sheepish. 

“So you've never strayed from it? Seriously?” Betty asks, almost not believing him. Jughead just nods in response, folding his arms on top of the table. “Well, I think that should change today.”

Jughead opened his mouth to protest, but just then the waitress approaches their table. She asks Betty for her order first, and Betty takes it upon herself to order for them both. “We’ll both take the chicken sandwiches. Fries for both.”

The waitress writes down their order and walks away. Jughead stares at Betty, at a loss for words. He's floored by how forward Betty is, and how she didn't even care what Jughead thought. He obviously doesn't care, but Betty doesn't know that when she frantically looks at him.

“Oh gosh, you probably didn't want that, did you? I'm so sorry!” she quickly says, eyes wide.

“No, it's fine!” Jughead assures her, but she shakes her head.

“No, no, I shouldn't have done that. I should've made sure it was what you wanted. Now you're not gonna like it, oh gosh I'm so sorry I-” she cuts her rambling off, taking a deep breath. Jughead's eyes search her face, panic setting in. Her eyes are glassy and her breathing seems erratic, and Jughead needs it to stop. 

“Hey, hey, Betty. Look at me,” he says softly. At his voice, she looks up at him, their eyes connecting. Her breath noticeably evens out after she takes a long, deep breath. “It's  _ okay _ . It's about time I do something different with my life.”

Betty lets out a breathy laugh at that, which makes Jughead smile. He raises his eyebrows at her, silently asking if she's okay and hoping she understands. She smiles shyly and looks down at the table, nodding slightly.

“Sorry about that. That happens sometimes,” Betty says quietly. Jughead can recognize that it's not a subject she’d want to talk about in depth, so he decides not to push it.

“It’s okay. Everyone has those moments,” he smiles. She looks up at him, staring at him for a long moment. Jughead feels nervous under her gaze, dropping his eyes to the table and adjusting his beanie. Finally, when she looks like she's about to say something, the waitress arrives with their food. She smiles kindly at them and tells them she hopes they enjoy the food and if they need anything else to just let her know. Betty thanks her as Jughead stares at the sandwich suspiciously. The waitress walks away and Betty starts eating her fries, Jughead watching her. She glances up at him, catching his eye and smiling slightly, Jughead’s face heating up and busying himself with a fry.  He hears her laugh as he takes a bite of his sandwich, hoping he doesn’t embarrass himself anymore than he already has. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my tumblr to ask any questions or just talk to me!  
> totheheartsthatache
> 
> xx Dana


	6. The Bed & Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a MONSTER!! And also one of my favorites so I hope you like it
> 
> On a side note, if anyone wants to be my beta or just my friend, please message me on my tumblr (totheheartsthatache) and let me know! I'd love to just talk to you guys!
> 
> Enjoy!

Betty was not having a good day. It started off fine-- she went for a run in the morning, got coffee from her favorite cafe, and even made a large breakfast for Veronica and herself. But then she got a call from her mother.

It started off as they normally do. She asked Betty how Veronica is, how her job is. But then she asked about the city, and she told her about some news stories. She reprimanded Betty for leaving home to live in a big city, even though she’s been here long enough. When Betty snapped back at her, Alice turned it up a notch, bringing on the guilt trip. 

“I am your mother, Betty. I have done nothing but try to protect you and your sister, and this is how you repay me?” Alice had said, venom dripping from her words. Betty tried to argue, but was cut off before she could even speak. “I failed with your sister, but I will not fail with you, Elizabeth. I will not let you end up like her, do you hear me?”

Betty heard her loud and clear, tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t sure how her mother always made her cry after their phone calls, but she always did. Betty told her mother what she wanted to hear, made a quick excuse about having a load of laundry to take out, and hung up with a shaky goodbye. As soon as  she dropped the phone onto her bed, she let the tears run free. It had been a while since Betty last cried, like  _ really  _ cried, and it had felt good. She sulked in her room for a good half hour before realizing that she had to get ready for dinner with Jughead. 

She tried to put on a smile while she got ready, to convince herself that she might just be okay. She forced her smile to be wider every time she saw her reflection, and by the time she saw Jughead standing in front of the diner, her smile was practically splitting her face open. 

Jughead was perfectly normal, of course. He had no idea what had happened to Betty shortly before she arrived, and Betty was actually grateful to not receive his pity. She could have a nice, normal evening without being reminded of Alice Cooper’s claws dragging her back home where she could control her.

It wasn’t so nice, however, when Betty’s calm and collected facade slipped, her anxiety taking over and making her go  _ slightly _ insane. She thought Jughead would for sure run off, but he handled it perfectly, calming her down in such a gentle and sweet way. Betty was more surprised than anything, and now she can’t stop thinking of how soft his voice had sounded as he soothed her.

They eat their meals, Jughead actually seeming pleased with what Betty ordered for him, a satisfied smile on his lips as he takes a bite. Betty smiles at the thought, her innerself happy that she could please Jughead. 

“Aren’t you glad you chose something different?” Betty asks finally, biting down on a fry and watching as he lifts his head up. She watches as he finishes chewing his bite, swallowing it down and clearing his throat to answer.

“It’s good, I’ll give you that. I’m pleasantly surprised,” Jughead tells her, stealing a fry from her plate. She goes to yell at him but stops when he smirks at her, popping it into his mouth. She steals one of his fries in retaliation, laughing at the shocked expression on his face. It quickly morphs into a smile, Jughead laughing himself, and they settle back into a comfortable silence as they eat. 

Betty can’t help but glance at him every so often, taking him in. There were things she hadn’t noticed before, like how sharp his jaw is or the curly piece of hair that falls into his eyes in just the right way. Her eyes drift down to his adam's apple, bobbing as he swallows down a bite of his sandwich. She's staring at his mouth when his eyes flick up towards her, catching her. Betty’s eyes widen and she quickly stuffs a fry in her mouth, staring down at her plate as her face turns beat red. She hears a low chuckle come from him, but she doesn't dare look up until she's finished with her fries. 

When she does look up, he's not looking back anymore, and Betty sighs with relief. Her brain, however, doesn't see that as a good thing, and the voice inside of her is nagging because  _ why would he be staring at you? He doesn't like you, there's much better girls out there he can get.  _

Betty’s breath hitches, her left hand clenching into a fist while her right grips her glass of water. She can see Jughead stop his movements and look at her, but she keeps staring at her plate, willing herself to calm down. The voice sounds just like her mother, and that makes Betty want to run out and cry, but she refuses. She won't subject Jughead to that.

“Can I take more pictures of you?” she heard Jughead say, instantly snapping her out of her trance. Shocked, she looks up to find him with his bottom lip between his teeth, and his hand on his beanie.

“What do you mean?” Betty asks, trying to see if she heard him right. He clears his throat at the same time as he adjusts his beanie, his hands settling in front of him on the table.

“I mean, will you be my model again? There’s this hotel that’s really, just, perfect? And I’ve had my eye on it for a while and I just really want to try a shoot there because the lobby is picturesque and the rooms are very, uh, cute I guess and-” Jughead rambles until Betty finally cuts him off.

“Did you, Jughead Jones, just say the words ‘picturesque’ and ‘cute’?” she asks, her lips quirking up in amusement. Jughead stops talking and stares at her, mouth gaping open. She laughs as his cheeks flush pink, his eyebrows knitting together as he pouts at her.

“I'm trying to be serious here, but you're not letting me, so I guess I’ll just post another ad on Craigslist and see-” Jughead starts, crossing his arms and looking away as she interrupts him with a laugh.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm just teasing you,” Betty tells Jughead, who just mutters something incoherent, so she continues. “Of course I’ll be your model again.”

He looks back at her when she says this, and his smile actually lights up his face. Betty can’t help but smile back at him, and they sit there smiling until Jughead finally clears his throat and breaks their eye contact. He looks down at the table, pushing his empty plate away. Betty notices that he adjusts his beanie again, which is about the tenth time tonight.

“Do you ever take your hat off?” she asks suddenly, catching him by surprise. He looks up at her, slowly nodding his head.

“Of course I do,” Jughead claims. Betty levels him with a questioning look, about to argue with him when he continues with a smirk. “In the shower, when I sleep...sometimes it falls off accidentally when I bend over or something.”

Betty laughs out loud at that, Jughead smiling back at her. He chuckles quietly and shakes his head, adjusting his hat again.

“To really answer your question, no, I really don’t. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember, just ask Archie,” he tells her. She bites her bottom lip, glancing up at his hat and then back into his eyes which are watching her.

“Why? Why do you always wear it?” Betty asks timidly. His eyes widen slightly, and his mouth gapes open to say something but he quickly shuts it. He looks scared, almost, and Betty rushes to amend that. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer that. I don’t mean to pry or make you uncomfortable.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I, um, I don’t talk about it much so it’s a little weird for me,” he explains, slumping down in his seat. Betty nods her understanding, encouraging him to go on. “I guess I just- it’s kind of like a protection thing? Like, I feel safe with it. And when I’m not wearing  it, I just feel naked, I guess?”

Betty takes in his words, watching him. He looks uncomfortable under her gaze so she smiles reassuringly, reaching over the table to put her hand on top of his. He looks into her eyes, shyly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. She squeezes his hand once before leaning back in her seat. “So, this photoshoot?”

“Are you free tomorrow? It’s sudden, I know,” Jughead bites his lip nervously, hand moving up to adjust his hat but stopping mid-air before bringing it back down. Betty watches the movement, suddenly feeling confident enough to grab his hand.

“Tomorrow is great. You can text me the details,” she tells him, smiling. He smiles back at her and nods, turning his hand over to squeeze hers.

“You can bring Veronica again, and meet at my apartment. Archie has a car so we can drive there,” he informs her. She nods in agreement, already knowing how excited Veronica will be. The waitress finally comes with the check, and Jughead quickly grabs it before Betty can, bringing it up to pay. She watches him, smiling and wondering why she feels lighter than she did before she came her. But she secretly knows the answer, staring her right in the face.

 

\----

 

Just as Betty guessed, Veronica had freaked out when Betty returned home and told her about the photoshoot. She immediately ran to her closet, filing through all the clothes she owned. 

“You are going to look so hot Betty. Just you wait,” she had said, pulling things out of the closet and throwing them anywhere. “You know that jacket you bought last week? That blue shiny one? Get that right now.”

Betty did as she asked, getting the jacket from her closet and bringing it back to Veronica. She had laid out a light blue pencil skirt and a white and black crop top, setting them out nicely on the bed. She was still going through the closet so Betty sat down on the bed, patiently waiting. Veronica finally gasped, pulling something out of the closet and looking at Betty.

“Jughead Jones has no idea what is coming for him!” Veronica squealed, tossing the clothing to Betty.

And Betty doesn’t even know what’s coming as she stands in front of Jughead’s apartment, knocking on the door. She’s carrying her garment bag with her outfits, Veronica carrying everything she needs for hair and makeup. She’s rattling off everything she needs to do when the door swings open, Jughead pulling a shirt over his head in the doorway. Veronica pushes right past him without introduction, but Betty lingers to smile at him. He smiles back and steps aside to let her follow Veronica, who walks straight to Archie’s room. Archie himself is seated on the couch, and he offers a wave to Betty as she walks past. She enters the room and closes the door behind her, Veronica already setting up.

“Get dressed. I’m thinking a smoky eye, what about you?” Veronica asks, but it’s a rhetorical question so Betty doesn’t answer. She gets dressed in the outfit Veronica picked out for her and sits down in the chair she set out.

“Are you putting my hair up?” Betty asks her, looking up at her. She makes a noise of affirmation as she rummages through the bag she has.

“Aha!” she exclaims, pulling out a pair of diamond earrings and handing them to Betty. “Put these on. They’ll show since your hair is up.”

Betty puts on the earrings as Veronica works on her makeup. She’s quick with it, since they practice last night, and puts her hair in a messy ponytail before dismissing her. Betty silently walks out of the room to find Archie and Jughead playing video games. The latter looks up when she walks in, completely forgetting about the game to stare at her, allowing Archie to successfully kill his player.

“Hah! Suck it, Jones!” Archie yells, throwing his controller down on the sofa beside him. Jughead seems to snap out of it, looking at the tv and groaning.

“That’s not fair. You killed me when I wasn’t looking!” Jughead retorts, but Archie just laughs loudly, clapping him on the back.

“War is hell, Jug,” Archie explains, smirking. He stands up as Veronica leaves his room, getting up and going to greet her with open arms. Betty smiles and moves to sit on the couch beside Jughead, who smiles back and nudges her with his elbow.

“Nice outfit. Veronica’s?” he asks, looking her up and down. His eyes linger one where a sliver of her midriff is showing, and she smiles slightly.

“The jacket is mine, that's it. I don't think I've ever even worn a skirt this short,” Betty mutters, making a point of trying to pull it down. Jughead's eyes follow her movement, staring at her thighs for a moment before clearing his throat and standing up.

“Well if you're ready, we can go. I made a reservation for a room so you can store your things there. Might even take some picture there too. Do you have a second outfit?” Jughead looks at her, words rushing out. Betty just nods and stands up, adjusting her skirt as she does. “Perfect. Arch? Veronica? You guys good to go?”

The pair are giggling in a corner-- Veronica leaning against the wall and Archie’s right arm bracketing her in, leaning close. His head snaps up to look at Jughead, a dopey smile on his face. “Yeah, sure Jug. We're good.”

Jughead rolls his eye and grabs his messenger bag, muttering softly under his breath, “you two are gross.”

Betty, being the only one to hear him, barks out a loud laugh. Embarrassed, she claps her hand on her mouth, eyes apologetic when Jughead smirks at her. He shakes his head, amused, and walks towards the door, expecting them all to follow.

Archie’s car is an old, tattered Jeep Cherokee, which Betty can't help but admire. She has always loved Jeeps, always wanted to get her hands on one but never been able to. Jughead slides into the driver's seat and watches as she runs her hand along the dashboard, smiling.

“You want to fix this car, don't you?” Jughead smirked, putting his key into the ignition as Archie and Veronica slide into the back. Betty looks up at him, shock all over her face.

“You remember?” She asks, genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected Jughead to actually read her paragraph. She just thought he'd pick the prettiest girl to model.

“Of course I remember. Why do you think I asked for the paragraph?” He raises his eyebrows, but Betty just shrugs, unknowing. “I like having that real aspect in my photos. I wasn't going to pick some shallow, already-doing-professional-shots type of girl. You're real, Betty.”

“Yeah, and I’m real hungry, so can we stop and get some food along the way?” Archie pipes up from the backseat, breaking their little moment. 

“Archie!” Veronica reprimands, slapping his shoulder. Archie, bless his soul, has no idea why Veronica is hitting him, and Betty just laughs. Jughead shakes his head at his friend and starts driving, pulling out of the parking garage. 

“How long of a drive is it?” Archie asks, slinging his arm around Veronica's shoulders. Jughead glances in the rear view mirror and rolls his eyes before settling them back on the road.

“Not long. Twenty minutes maybe. There's a little coffee shop next door that we can stop at,” he explains.

“Oh, perfect. Betty forgot to make coffee this morning,” Veronica sighs, giving Betty a pointed look.

“I did not forget, Veronica just had to practice different makeup looks. Again,” Betty argues, crossing her arms. Jughead glances at her, eyes drifting over her face briefly.

“Well, it paid off. Looks great,” he says, still looking at Betty. She smiles warmly as he looks back at the road, Veronica cooing from the back.

“Aw, thanks Jughead!” she squeals, Jughead nodding his regards. She rounds on Archie and slaps his shoulder again. “Archie, why can't you say nice things like that?”

“It does look great, Ronnie. I just didn't notice before because I couldn't take my eyes off of you,” he says smoothly. Veronica, satisfied with his answer, gives him and peck on the cheek.

“Yeah, nice save, Arch,” Jughead laughs. He pushes a button on the dashboard, music suddenly surrounding them as the radio turns on. Veronica and Archie talk quietly in the back, but Betty just looks out the window, not wanting to disturb Jughead and his driving. 

After a short while, Jughead finally parks the car in a parking lot. They all file out and Betty looks up at the building they're next to, a cute bed & breakfast with a front porch and everything Betty loves. 

“How do you find all these places?” She asks Jughead, who's walking around to her side of the car. He shrugs, looking up at the building.

“I walk. I wander,” he says, simple as that. Archie and Veronica are already walking towards the cafe, Jughead watching them before looking at Betty. “You go with them. I'm gonna check in and then I'll meet you guy.”

She nods and they part ways, Betty following shortly behind them. The cafe is just as cute, seeming to follow the theme of the hotel. It's practically empty, Veronica wandering off to find a seat while Archie orders for her. Betty looks around the place, taking in the eclectic style of it. She always looked forward to finding cute little coffee shops in the city, just out of the public eye for a nice place to study. 

She's lost in space when Archie finishes ordering. Just as she's about to step up to the counter to place her own order, someone gently grabs onto her elbow. She spins around, startled, but relieved to find it's only Jughead smiling gently at her.

“Sorry to scare you. Go ahead and order what you want, on me,” he tells her. She opens her mouth to protest but he shushes her, winking. “Payment.”

“You don't give up, do you?” She asks, smiling slightly.

“Rarely. Now order, we don't have all day,” he jokes, nudging her forward. She laughs and goes willingly, tell the guy at the counter what she wants. He smiles charmingly at her, punching it in when Jughead steps up to place his own order. The worker’s smile drops, being completely casual, and if Jughead notices he doesn’t react to it. He pays for the both of them and leads her to where Archie and Veronica are talking next to each other. They sit across from them but don’t interrupt them, Jughead instead looking around the place, taking his camera out and placing it on the table.

“Do you always bring your camera around?” Betty asks, taking note of it.

“No, not always. A lot of the times, yeah,” he tells her. He turns the camera on and brings it up to his face, pointing at Archie and Veronica, snapping a picture without them noticing. “I told you I like real. So I like to take pictures of people, my friends, without them noticing.”

He angles the camera to show her the picture, and she smiles at it. “You’re really good, Juggie.”

“You don’t have to tell me that every time you see my pictures, Betty,” Jughead mutters, but Betty can see the smile on his face. She nudges his arm to make him look at her, smiling when he does. Just then the waiter arrives at the table with their orders. He gives everyone their meals and drinks, his smile widening as he lingers by Betty.

“Enjoy your meals,” he says to everyone but only looks at Betty. She smiles and mutters a thanks as he walks away, her face flushing red. She can feel Jughead staring at her, so she glances at him to see his eyes hard.

“I think he likes you,” he mutters, watching him walk away. Betty would almost think he’s jealous, but she dismisses that idea.

“It’s probably just the makeup,” she shrugs. He opens his mouth to say something, but chooses to shake his head instead. He turns to his meal so Betty does too, and the four of them eat in relative silence. 

Halfway through his meal, Jughead stops eating, staring at something to her right. “Betty, would you be opposed to posing for a few pictures here?”

Betty stops eating and looks at him, then to where he’s looking. In the corner of the cafe there’s a small nook that reminds her of an old timey ice cream parlor. The nook is all mirror on three sides with a large statue of an ice cream cone off to one side. “There? Right now?”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. Just thought it would be fun,” Jughead shrugs, taking another bite of his sandwich. 

“It would look really cute with that outfit,” Veronica supplies, sipping her latte. “No one else is even in here, and the cute guy surely won’t mind.”

Betty blushes when Veronica winks at her, wiping a napkin across her mouth before standing up. “You’ve swayed me. Come on, Jones, work your magic.”

They go over to the nook, Veronica and Archie watching them. Jughead orders her to sit down in the nook while he fixes the frame on his camera. 

“I want you to have fun with it. Try smiling, unlike last time,” he tells her, bringing the camera up. She poses with her hands up against the nook and smiles. “Don’t look at the camera.” 

She does as he says, trying to look like she’s having a fun time. She feels her shirt ride up, exposing her stomach, but she doesn’t care. She hears Veronica whistle and Betty laughs, right as she hears the camera click. He takes a few pictures before she tries different poses, and soon enough Jughead tells her he has enough. She hops off and immediately walks over to Jughead to see the pictures. 

“Amazing, but that’s really no surprise,” she comments, nudging his side. He laughs and shakes his head, walking back to the table.

“Betty! You looked so great,” Veronica tells her as she returns to the table.

“Yeah, that was like really cool. Good eye, Jug,” Archie adds, holding his hand out for a fistbump. Jughead bumps their fists together, muttering a ‘thanks dude’ as he does. Betty is about to thank them when the waiter from before walks over to their table.

“I saw what you were doing, and I thought it was really cool. You’re very beautiful and I would love to take you out sometime, if you want. Here’s my number-- I hope you use it,” he hands a piece of paper to Betty, who stares at it speechless. The entire table has gone silent, and Betty looks up at the guy to smile weakly. He winks and walks back behind the counter, when Veronica finally says something.

“Oh my god, swoon!” she exclaims, clapping her hands together. Betty stares at the number on the paper, gobsmacked.

“What just happened?” Betty asks no one in particular, looking up at Veronica and Archie, who are both smirking back at her.

“You, Betty Cooper, just got asked out on a date by a very attractive barista, who also gave you his number that I will use if you don’t,” Veronica states. Archie looks very offended, but doesn’t get to say anything because Jughead suddenly stands up.

“I think we’ve taken long enough eating. Better go do what we came here for,” he mutters. He keeps his head down as he grabs his camera and stalks out of the cafe. Confused, Betty turns to Archie to question him, but he just waves his hand.

“Don’t mind him. Just being his normal, moody self,” Archie tells her, standing up himself. Betty glances at the door after Jughead, slightly concerned, but stands up anyways, walking out with Veronica and Archie. Jughead is nowhere to be seen, so they assume he’s already inside and go in themselves. 

They find him sitting on an antique looking loveseat, toying with his camera. Betty walks over and sits down next to him, their legs touching. He glances up and just stares at her, a strand of his hair falling in front of his eyes. Betty impulsively moves the hair out of his eyes, tucking it into his beanie. His lips part as he stares at her, eyes drifting down to her lips, until they’re interrupted by Veronica’s voice.

“This place is so cute! Everything is so antique and luxurious, I love it!” Veronica exclaims, spinning around to take in the lobby. Jughead stands up quickly, walking a few paces away from the sofa. Betty stands up to follow but he turns around and stops her by holding up a hand. 

“Stay there. The lighting is really good in this spot so we might just stay here,” he explains. She nods and sits back down, following his instructions. He snaps a few photos, alternating between serious and fun, lounging and sitting. At one point he tells her to stand on the couch, so she channels her inner Alice and takes her shoes off, standing just in her black, frilly ankle socks. Jughead seems to be amused by this and makes no comment, instructing her to take her jacket off and hold it above her hand. She pretends to jump, she holds her hands up high, she slings it over her shoulder--she has fun, like he wanted. She ties the jacket around her waist, posing in front of the painting , and Jughead takes a few shots before putting his camera down. She hops off the seat and puts her shoes back on before walking over to him to see.

“You were right about the lighting,” she comments as he scrolls through the pictures. He snickers and looks up at her, putting the camera down.

“Please, don’t doubt my photography skills. It really brings me down,” he teases. She laughs as Veronica comes up and hugs her from behind, leaning her chin on Betty’s shoulder to see the camera. Archie is on the other side of Jughead, making comments every now and the. A few couples walk past them, checking in to the hotel and looking at them curiously, but they don't care.  

They go through all the pictures until Jughead decides the should head upstairs. “The shoots not done,” he claims, grabbing his bag. They follow him up to the room on the second floor, unlocking the door and letting them in.

“Betty and I will take the bathroom, you set up whatever you need in here,” Veronica tells them, walking to the ensuite with Betty in tow. Betty barely got to see what the dress looked like before Veronica shoved it in the bag, claiming she wanted to surprise everyone with it. She changes out of her outfit as Veronica pulls out a pale pink dress in a silky fabric, and Betty's eyes widen.

“That's the dress?” She asks, like she can't really believe it. Veronica smirks and takes it off the hanger gently, handing it over.

“I can't wait to see how it looks. Even though I know it will be smoking,” Veronica grins, waving her hand with the dress impatiently. Betty quickly grabs it, glancing it over before slipping it on. It's softer than she imagine, and falls perfectly on her, despite one problem.

“This bra doesn't work,” Betty notices, looking up at her friend. Veronica glances her over, eyes moving from Betty’s bra straps and the rest of the dress.

“You'll have to take it off,” Veronica tells her. Betty starts to argue the absurdity of that, but gets shushed immediately. “Trust me, Betty. Take it off.”

Betty complies, albeit reluctantly, and manages to take the bra off, tossing it onto her other clothes. Veronica orders her to sit down she she can give her darker lipstick and different earrings. She leaves the hair the same before pulling out a pair of silver strappy heels, grinning maniacally. Betty sighs and takes them from her, putting them on carefully. She stands up and steadies herself, smoothing her dress down, when Veronica gasps.

“Please marry me. How are you so hot? How do you not dress like this everyday?” Veronica asks, staring her up and down. Betty flushes under the attention but straightens her posture, looking in the mirror briefly. She can appreciate that she does look good, and silently thanks Veronica for that.

“Anything else?” Betty asks quietly, staring at herself in the mirror. She makes eye contact with Veronica who's smiling at her in the mirror.

“You're perfect, B. Now how about I open this door and you go out there and be a smoking hot model that every guy will fall for,” Veronica says, placing her hands on Betty's shoulder. Betty nods and smiles, turning to the door as Veronica opens it.

Archie notices his first, as he's lounging on one of the beds playing a game on his phone. He sees the bathroom door open and is about to say something to Veronica when he drops his phone on the bed, staring at Betty.

“Oh shit,” he says, eyes blown wide. He looks at Veronica who is just smirking behind her, before looking at Jughead. He's setting something up of by the other bed and the window, maneuvering this sheets and not paying attention, so Archie tries for his attention. “Jug. _Jug_. Hey, look, Jug.”

“Archie, I already told you that game is stupid so please stop bothe-” he turns around as he talks but is frozen when he sees Betty. Betty keeps his eye contact and moves her arms from her chest, not hiding herself anymore. She feels Veronica move past her to join Archie on the bed, but she's not looking. Jughead is looking her up and down, mouth gaping open, and she's very satisfied with it. She assumes this is the reaction Veronica was going for.

“Not to much?” She asks timidly, smoothing it down around her hips. Jughead shakes his head quickly, seemingly unfrozen.

“No, of course not. It's--it's perfect, Betty,” he says quietly. Normally she'd cringe and shy away from that word, but instead she walks closer to him, his eyes following her. She sits on the bed, keeping their eye contact, and leaning back. He clears his throat and looks down at his camera, and Betty can hear Archie snigger in the background. 

“How do you want me?” Betty asks with a smirk, taking note of the innuendo. Archie and Veronica burst out laughing while Jughead blushes furiously, shaking his head.

“Lay across the bed, propping yourself up with one elbow,” he mumbles, bringing the camera up to cover his face. Betty poses just so, bringing one knee up and placing one hand behind her arm. She tries to come off as sexy but doubts she's actually pulling off. Jughead takes the pictures without any comment, giving her a different order every now and then.

When she's posing by the window, Veronica interrupts them to fix something on Betty. She pulls down the dress in the front to expose more of her cleavage, and bunches it up at the bottom to have Betty hold it in her hand, exposing her leg. She pecks her cheek before returning to the bed, hip checking Jughead on her way. Jughead grunts and brings the camera up, snapping the picture quickly. 

After a few more poses, Jughead calls it a day. He makes quick work of packing his camera up, keeping his head down and avoiding Betty’s gaze. Betty smiles to herself and walks to the bathroom, Veronica following and closing the door behind her.

“I think you should keep that dress and wear it every single time you see Jughead, because that boy is in love, Betty,” she claims, smirking at her. Betty rolls her eyes and turns around for Veronica to unzip the dress.

“I think you're imagining things,” Betty says, slipping the dress off her shoulder. She quickly puts her bra on to not be as exposed before slipping the dress off completely. 

“Betty, it's obvious he likes you. Did you see how he reacted when that barista asked you out? Jealousy, B. Blatant jealousy,” Veronica states, hanging the dress on the hanger it belongs to. Betty shakes her head, slipping on her shorts and shirt she arrived in.

“We’re friends, V. He barely knows me,” Betty tells her, taking her earrings off and putting them in the bag.

“Friends or not, he likes you, Betty Cooper, and I will do everything in my power to prove you wrong,” Veronica threatens, giving her a pointed look. Betty chooses not to say anything, deciding to just shrug a smile. Veronica can do what she wants, but Betty and Jughead were friends.  _ Just friends. _

 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are they really just friends? Will Betty call the hot barista??? Who knows!
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated. I'd like to know if you guys actually like this!
> 
> Follow my tumblr to see EXCLUSIVE content for Shutter Speed or to just talk to me.
> 
> Lots of love, Dana xx


	7. The Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: mentions of anxiety and depression  
> This is a very important chapter, even though it's short. I got it out quick because I'm somewhat excited about it, so I hope you enjoy it.

Jughead and Betty became closer than ever after the last photoshoot. With their best friends dating, they all hung out together, almost all the time. Betty and Jughead even began texting each other, and Betty forced him to get a snapchat so they could talk through there. Jughead began to consider her one of his closest friends, though there weren’t many to begin with.

Today is one of those lazy days where they all were hanging out at Betty and Veronica’s apartment. Betty had made a habit of cooking for them whenever they came over, but today they opted for Chinese takeout instead. Archie put on a movie on Netflix, much to Veronica’s distaste. No one is really watching it though-- Betty engrossed in her phone, Jughead in his food, and Archie and Veronica in each other. Jughead gets a notification on his phone and sees a snapchat from Betty. He smirks, glancing back at her from his spot on the floor, leaning next to her legs. She smiles at him, nudging his shoulder with her knee, before going back to her phone. Jughead opens the snap, just a picture of the back of his head. He laughs and replies with a selfie, Betty in the background, still staring at her phone. Her fingers are typing rapidly, and if Jughead had to guess, he’d bet it’s  _ that guy _ .

That had taken him by surprise. The “hot barista”, as Veronica had called him, had managed to get Betty’s attention that day they met. When Betty cancelled their plans to go to the museum one day, she merely said  _ something came up _ . Jughead didn’t question it at the time, just told her it was okay and that they could reschedule. He spent the day alone in the apartment instead, eating leftover takeout and playing video games. He didn’t stop until Betty texted him later on, apologizing again for cancelling. She explained that something came up last minute and when Jughead pushed further, he instantly regretted it.

_ Dylan _ . The hot barista was named Dylan and he had taken Betty out on a date that made her cancel his plans. Jughead dropped his phone on the couch after reading her text, not bothering to answer. He swiftly got up and went to his room, laying in bed for hours thinking about what he missed out on.

In the morning he woke up to numerous texts from Betty, asking if he was okay and if he was mad at her. He wanted to reply and say  _ no, but I am mad at myself because you are the most amazing person I have ever known, Betty Cooper, and I want to know you for the rest of my life but I can’t compete against another guy that deserves you more than I do,  _ but he couldn’t. Instead, he replied with a simple,  _ fell asleep, sorry _ . Because even though Jughead won’t admit his feelings, he will accept them, and he will forget them.

Except he doesn’t forget them, because when he sees Betty smile at her phone, his blood runs cold. He knows the reason behind that smile, and it’s not  _ him _ . Apparently he isn’t the only one to notice either, because Veronica finally says something about it.

“What are you smiling at over there?” she asks, poking her with her toe. Archie’s attention breaks away from the movie, looking at Betty curiously.

“A meme. Dylan sends them all the time,” Betty says with a slight giggle.

“What?” Veronica asks, at the same time that Archie asks, “Who’s Dylan?” Jughead sees Veronica look at him, but he doesn’t say anything.

“The barista from that one cafe we went to,” Betty explains to him, setting her phone down.

“You mean--oh. Oh,” Archie looks surprised, glancing at Jughead briefly. “Are you guys, like, dating then?”

“It’s not serious. We went out a few times, we talk,” Betty shrugs, bringing her knees up to her chest. Veronica and Archie are both eyeing Jughead, and he can’t handle it. He stares at the tv, trying to school his face and not give anything away. 

“You’ve seen him more than once?” Veronica asks, trying to comprehend this new information. Jughead wishes she would stop talking. He already knows all of this and doesn’t enjoy hearing it again. 

“I’ll be right back,” Jughead mutters, trying to be as casual as possible as he goes to the bathroom. Once he’s in there, he locks the door and leans over the sink, looking in the mirror. He wants to hit something, and that rarely happens. He yanks his hat off of his head, throwing it onto the ground before once again analyzing his reflection. He looks tired from hardly sleeping this week, dealing with work, his internship, Betty-- and his father.

Jughead almost forgot his deadbeat father was out of jail and wanting to get back into his life. He had called, telling him how sorry he was and how he wanted to make it up to Jughead, but Jughead just hung up. He cried for the first time in months, and that is how Archie found him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it from Archie for long, so he reluctantly told him about the phone call. What he didn’t tell him, though, was the text messages he’d been getting, and the single letter. They all went unanswered, but every time Jughead saw one in his inbox, his heart hurt a little.

Deciding that he has spent too much time in the bathroom, he splashes some cold water on his face and puts his hat back on, adjusting it into the right spot as he walks out. Archie and Betty are exactly where he left them, silently watching the movie, but Veronica is nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Veronica?” he asks them. They both lift their heads to glance at him, but Archie is the one that answers first.

“In the kitchen getting some water, I think,” he says. Jughead nods and moves to sit down on the arm chair when Archie stands, stopping him. “I got work tomorrow, so we should head out. I almost forgot.”

Jughead doesn’t comment that-- no, he does not have work tomorrow. He doesn’t comment that Archie only works in the afternoons at the gym near their apartment. He doesn’t comment because Jughead knows an out when he sees one. He simply nods as Archie walks to the kitchen, presumably to say bye to his girlfriend. He stands there awkwardly, glancing at the door when he sees Betty stand up and cross over to him. Straightening his posture, he looks at her just as she opens her arms to wrap around him. He hugs her back without hesitation, her face burying into his shoulder. They stand there for a few moments, Betty being the one to pull back and look at him. She smiles softly, letting go of him and stepping back. She looks like she’s about to say something, but Jughead turns away quickly, Archie exiting the kitchen. He waves to Betty and walks out, Jughead quickly following behind him. He doesn’t turn around to see the disappointed look on Betty’s face. Archie doesn’t say anything either as they walk down the stairs and out of the apartment. Jughead has never been more grateful for silence.

 

\----

 

There’s an unsettling feeling in Betty’s stomach as Archie and Jughead close the door behind them. She can't help but feel she missed something, something bad. Veronica is still in the kitchen, having stormed in there shortly after Jughead disappeared. Betty can't help but feel that she made everyone mad at her, and that doesn't sit well with her.

She drops back down to the couch just as Veronica walks back in, silently sitting next to her. She grabs the remote and turns the tv off, Betty watching her the whole time. They sit in silence for a while, Betty looking at her lap and Veronica looking at the black screen of the tv. She only says something when Betty finally works up the courage to, interrupting her.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Dylan?” she asks. Betty immediately shuts her mouth, not expecting that question. “I’m your best friend, Betty. Why wouldn’t you tell me about a new boy in your life?”

“Because you kept pushing the Jughead thing and I- I didn’t think you’d like it,” Betty tells her. Veronica’s face falls, opening her mouth before Betty quickly stops her. “I should’ve told you, I know. You  _ are _ my best friend V, and I love you. It just really isn’t anything serious; he likes me and it’s nice.”

“Well, do you like him?” Veronica asks, and Betty doesn’t really know how to answer. She thinks Dylan is a really nice guy and he is great to talk to, but she doesn’t know if there’s anything more. 

“It’s nice, you know? Having someone that likes me and wants to spend time with me,” Betty shrugs, looking down at her lap.

“Oh Betty, I like you and I always want to spend time with you,” Veronica tries to amend, softly putting her hand on Betty’s arm.

“I appreciate that, but it’s not the same. You wouldn’t understand,” Betty whispers, her voice breaking. She clenches her hand into fists and can feel her nails digging into her palms. 

“Then help me understand, Betty. I want to be here for you,” Veronica says gently, lightly squeezing her arm. Betty looks up at her, seeing tears in her earnest eyes. She can trust Veronica, she knows that. She may be the only person she does trust.

“I’ve never been the girl that has a lot of friends, or any boyfriends. I’ve always been really lonely, and my mother has never helped it, of course.” Betty pauses, letting Veronica nod in understanding before continuing. 

“You already know that I’m really shy, and I don’t do well in social situations. Because of that, I’ve never been really lucky when it comes to guys. I assumed I would grow up old and alone, so when Dylan showed interest... I don’t know, I just wanted to hold onto it?”

Veronica stares at Betty as she speaks. When she finishes, she looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. Instead, she pulls Betty into a tight hug, Betty unclenching her fists to hug her back.

“You are the prettiest, kindest, most amazing girl that I know, Betty. You don’t deserve to feel this pain, and I am so sorry that you do. If I could take it away from you, I would,” Veronica tells her, squeezing her tight. Betty feels tears form in her eyes so she closes them, letting them fall down her cheeks. 

“I know I shouldn’t hold onto Dylan if I don’t like him like that, but I can’t help it, V. And he really is sweet, so it’s not horrible,” Betty mutters, resting her forehead on Veronica’s shoulder.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, because I don’t know how you feel. But just know that if you want to be with him, I support you and will gladly welcome him into my home. And also, if you choose to just be friends with him and not lead him on, I will hug you and do everything in my power to make you happy,” Veronica tells her. The words are too sweet for Betty to handle, more tears coming out. “You are not alone, Elizabeth Cooper. You have me, you have Archie, and you have Jughead. We all love you in our own way, and trust me when I say we will do anything for you.”

Betty cries in Veronica’s arms for a good ten minutes before Veronica decides they should snuggle up on her bed and start a new show. They put on New Girl, and Veronica opens a bottle of wine since she claims that they “deserve it.”

_ Maybe I deserve much more, _ Betty thinks to herself as she cuddles up to Veronica’s side.  _ Maybe I can have more, if I just let myself.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me.  
> I know you probably do but I assure you, BUGHEAD IS ENDGAME! I am not that evil.  
> This chapter is very important to me, especially the scene with Betty and Veronica. But I will try to make the next chapter happier!  
> As always, please give me feedback, and if you want to chat or ask questions, feel free to visit my tumblr (totheheartsthatache). 
> 
> Lots of love, Dana xx


	8. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all don't hate me too much for the last chapter. Hopefully this long one makes up for it!  
> Please give me feedback, it motivates me to write faster!  
> Also follow my tumblr (totheheartsthatache) to see exclusive content from this chapter, or to ask me questions about the story!

“We’re throwing a cocktail party and you are invited,” is what Veronica says as soon as Jughead opens the door for her.

“Sorry, what?” Jughead inquires, confused as to why she’s there and what she is talking about. Veronica rolls her eyes and shoves her way past him. “Come on in, make yourself at home.”

“I have not thrown a party all summer, and I think Friday is the perfect day to. And you are invited, of course,” Veronica repeats, sitting down on the couch.

“You know Archie is at work, right? And friday is like, two days away. How can you plan a party that soon?” he asks. Veronica looks up from digging through her purse, raising her eyebrows at him. “Right, Veronica Lodge. Connections. Daddy’s money.”

Veronica continues to stare at him, and Jughead begins to wonder if he maybe should not have said that, but she smiles at him. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, Jughead Jones.”

Jughead snorts and returns to his spot on the arm chair, watching her. She’s still digging through her purse, not saying anything. He wonders why she’s here, but there’s really no reason behind any of Veronica’s actions. He’s accepted it in the short time he has known her, since there’s nothing else he can do.

“Do you want anything to drink? Or eat? Not the best cook but we might have something you can eat,” Jughead offers, readying himself to stand up.

“No need, I’m fine. I just came here to formally invite you to my party,” she tells him, finally pulling something out of her purse and handing it to him. It’s a small envelope with his name written in cursive. He looks up at her questioningly before opening, staring at the notecard reading  _ Midsummer Night’s Soiree. _ Jughead doesn’t bother reading anymore, looking up to her smirking face.

“You know there’s these things called phones? And you can just text people in seconds to invite them to things like this?” Jughead says monotonously. 

“That is exactly what is wrong with today’s society, my dear Jughead. No one even appreciates spending time on something and being more intimate with things,” Veronica sighs, dropping her purse to the ground.

“Please, save the intimacy for Archie,” Jughead mutters, putting the invitation on the coffee table. Veronica smirks as he slumps back in his chair, looking back at her. “Is that all you came here for?”

“Can’t I just spend time with you, my friend, who I have not taken the time to know but would like to?” Veronica says sarcastically. It’s Jughead’s turn to raise his eyebrows at her, making her sigh. “Fine. I wanted to see how you were.”

“How I am? I’m fine. And again, you could’ve texted me,” Jughead tells her, but she shakes her head, leaning forward.

“Jughead, please. Last time I saw you, you looked like you were going to either start crying or yelling because of  _ Dylan _ .” Jughead visibly cringes at the mention of his name, which earns a pointed look from Veronica. “My point exactly.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Veronica,” Jughead mutters, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping back in the chair.

“I want you to stop keeping your feelings inside, Jughead, because that is not healthy for anyone,” Veronica scolds. Jughead groans, throwing his head back.

“You already know my feelings,” he tells her. She just looks at him expectantly, urging him to say them out loud. “You are insufferable. I like Betty.”

“Now was that so hard?” Veronica smiles at him, patting his knee. Jughead just glares at her, sinking further into the chair. “You should tell her.”

“Absolutely not. You saw the guy she’s with, he is like some adonis,” Jughead laughs, but it’s dry and not full of amusement like normally.

“I don’t think it will last long. You should tell her,” Veronica repeats, sighing when Jughead shakes his head. “At least show her that you are interested. Pay close attention to her, notice the little things, and just...make her really happy. You already do but just- just do more.”

Jughead bites his lip, looking down at the floor. He takes in Veronica’s words, and can’t help but wonder if Betty isn’t really happy right now. Why else would Veronica be telling him that?

“I’ll think about it,” he decides, looking up at her. Her face lightens up as she smiles at him, leaning forward to put her hand on his knee.

“Thank you, Jughead. I promise you things will turn out okay,” she tells him. He wants to tell her not to make promises she can’t keep, but he doesn’t. Instead he just smiles as she leans back, taking her hand away. There’s a moment where he’s not sure if she’s expecting to say something, but she fixes it by picking up the invitation on the table. “So are you coming?”

“I guess. Am I required to bring my best donkey mask?” Jughead asks with a smirk. Veronica simply tilts her head at him, the joke going right over her head. “Nevermind, I’ll be there.”

Veronica squeals and stands up, giving him a quick hug before flitting out the door in a very Veronica way, leaving Jughead with the thought that he might consider Veronica a good friend now. 

 

\----

 

“Take off the hat.”

“I'm wearing the hat.”

“Take it off.”

“Why should I take it off?”

“You'll look better without it on.”

“I'm already wearing a blazer, I look amazing.”

Archie and Jughead stare at each other, neither one letting their guard down. Archie has been trying to convince him to take off his hat for Veronica’s party for about an hour, and it's progressed into a full blown argument now. Jughead knows he’ll win, because he’s stubborn and would literally hit Archie if he had to.

“Veronica will hate you,” Archie tries, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Do you really think that will make me take my hat off? And besides, she could never hate me,” Jughead replies, a smirk on his face. Ever since Veronica visited him that one day, she has been texting him all the time, mainly talking about her “plan” for Betty or to complain about Archie. Jughead of course rubbed it in Archie’s face, who didn’t take it well.

“Fine, lets just go. She wants us there earlier for ‘last minute setup’,” Archie grumbles, stalking towards the door. “We’re walking, by the way.”

Jughead nods and follows him out, grabbing his camera on the way, Veronica having asked him to take pictures. It’s half-past seven, Veronica’s party no beginning for another hour. She insisted they arrive early because Archie has “boyfriend duties”, and Jughead is just roped along in that. Veronica also noted to him, separately of course, that he would get to spend more time with Betty if he came early. 

At first Jughead wasn’t looking forward to the party since Veronica informed him that  _ Dylan _ was invited out of courtesy. Jughead was about to change his mind about going when Veronica updated him, telling him that Dylan was in fact _ not _ coming, due to a work party he had to attend. 

It was probably the only reason Jughead decided to wear a dress shirt  _ and _ a blazer tonight. For starters, it was a formal Veronica Lodge cocktail party, but a big part of him just wanted to impress Betty. But he was keeping the hat.

After a short walk, they reach the luxurious apartment complex and get let in by the doorman. Of course the apartment is nearly on the top floor so they have to take the elevator, and Veronica is already waiting for them in the doorway when they get there.

“You’re late,” she scolds, her arms crossed.

“Actually, we’re early. Too early, if you ask me,” Jughead quips. Veronica's eyes land on him, eyebrows quirking up and a smile spreading across her lips.

“Well don't you look dashing, Jughead. You dressed up just for me?” Veronica's voice raises an octave as she flutters her eyelashes at him.

“Anything for you,” Jughead snorts, patting her shoulder as he walks past her into the apartment. It’s already nicely decorated, twinkling lights hung up everywhere that Jughead guesses Betty is responsible for.

“Archie, I need you to help me finish with the food trays. Jughead, you can...sit,” Veronica tells him, grabbing Archie’s hand and dragging him into the kitchen. Jughead doesn’t argue, very pleased with not having to do any work. He takes the moment alone to look around the room, the open floorplan of the living area covered in lights and pastel drapes. It looks very whimsical, which is appropriate for the theme. He walks over to the balcony door, hand on the doorknob to open it when he’s disrupted by Betty walking out of her room.

Jughead loses his breath as soon as he looks at her. Her hair is in loose waves and off to one side. Her makeup is more natural and soft, and he can see a few rings on her fingers from how she’s putting on earrings. But her dress obviously tops it all. It’s black and skin tight, going down to her knees. It’s strapless so her shoulders are exposed, and Jughead doesn’t think he’ll last the entire night.

“Juggie! You’re here already!” she exclaims happily, running over and throwing her arms around his neck. She’s wearing heels, yet she’s still a few inches shorter than him. If Jughead wanted, he could easily rest his chin on her head and hold her for ages.

“Archie had boyfriend duties to fulfil. I am here for moral support only,” Jughead tells her, hugging her back. She giggles into his shoulder before pulling back, smiling at him. She steps back to look at him, taking in his appearance. She looks him up, head to toe, playing with the collar of his light blue shirt, smirking.

“This is the most color I’ve seen you in,” she comments, poking him in the chest. He chuckles and looks down at her, meeting her eyes.

“It’s almost as if we’ve switched places,” Jughead teases. They're interrupted by a knock on the door, Betty freezing and looking towards the sound. She glances at Jughead before walking to the door and opening it, leaving Jughead just standing there.

“Dylan! You made it!” he hears Betty say, and Jughead suddenly feels cold all over. His throat feels dry as the hot barista walks inside the apartment, hugging Betty.

“I can't stay long. Just wanted to see you and finally meet Veronica,” he explains, letting her go. Betty seems to remember Jughead standing behind her, turning around to look at him.

“Well, now you can't meet my other friends too,” she says, waving Jughead over. He really doesn't want to, but he walks over anyways, albeit slowly. “Dylan, this is Jughead. He's the photographer I told you about.”

“Hey, nice to meet you man. I remember you from the café that day, cool stuff,” Dylan says, holding his hand out for a handshake. Jughead hesitantly takes it, forcing a smile.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” he says, dropping his hand quickly. He takes a step back and points his thumb at the kitchen, ready to escape this as soon as possible. “I'll tell Veronica you're here. Um, yeah.”

With that he quickly turns around and treks into the kitchen. Archie and Veronica both look up at him when he comes in, hovered over different trays of hors d'oeuvres. 

“Dylan,” is all he says, plopping down on one of the stools and putting his head down on the counter. He hears Veronica walk out, and assumes Archie is going to follow her when he feels something nudging his shoulder. He lifts his head up slightly to see Archie holding a glass out to him, filled with a liquid he doesn't care to know.

“You need this,” he tells him. Jughead bites his lip, weighing his options. He normally doesn't drink, his dad being an alcoholic and all, but occasionally he doesn't mind letting loose a little bit. Tonight might be one of those occasions.

“Gonna get me wasted, Andrews?” Jughead asks, taking the glass from him.

“If you'll let me,” Archie answers, pouting a drink of his own. He holds it up in the air, raising it for a toast. “To holding in feelings.”

“Here, here,” Jughead says, clinking his glass to Archie's before downing the liquid. It's bitter, but Jughead welcomes the burn in his throat. “Maybe you'll also kill me tonight.”

Archie laughs and also throws back his drink, setting the glass down on the counter. He grabs the bottle of whiskey and pours them each another drink before bottling it back up. “I wouldn’t want to ruin Veronica’s party by killing you.”

“Save it for another day then,” Jughead shrugs, the two of them drinking their drinks as Veronica returns. “Ah, how was meeting our dear barista?”

“Pleasant enough. He’s not staying,” Veronica shrugs, grabbing the bottle from Archie and putting it back where it was, coming back with a bottle of wine and popping it open. “People are going to show up soon, so stop getting drunk in the kitchen.”

“Why do you think so little of us?” Jughead asks, throwing his arm around Archie’s shoulders. Veronica rolls her eyes and pours two glasses of wine, picking them up and looking at the two grinning guys in front of her.

“Come on, sit in the living room and be civil. That means you, Jughead,” Veronica scolds before she walks back out of the kitchen. Jughead sighs and follows out behind Archie. Veronica is sitting down on the loveseat and handing one of the wine glasses to Betty, who’s sitting on the couch with Dylan beside her. Archie sits next to Veronica, draping an arm on the back of the seat. Jughead hesitates before sitting down in the armchair across from him, a safe distance away from Betty.

“Dylan are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?” Veronica asks, crossing her legs and turning towards him. 

“Oh no, I’m good. I have to get going soon,” he tells her. 

“Well I’m glad you could come, if even for a little bit,” Veronica smiles before taking a sip of her wine. Jughead has to refrain from rolling his eyes, and is thankful when the doorbell rings, more guests arriving. Veronica quickly gets up, handing her wine to Archie and running to the door. She flips the light switch on the way, the room only being lit up by the twinkling lights and lanterns. 

As the guests walk in, Jughead’s phone starts buzzing with a phone call. He takes it out of his pocket and sees his dad’s contact showing up. He wants to ignore, but knows that won’t help anyone, so he stands up and excuses himself. Ignoring Archie and Betty’s curious looks, he walks out onto the balcony and closes the door behind him, answering the call.

“Dad,” he greets, walking over to the railing, leaning forward against it.

“Jug! Jug, my boy. You answered, Jug,” his dad slurs out, and  _ fuck _ he’s drunk. Jughead pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

“What do you want, dad?” Jughead asks, not wanting the conversation to last any longer than it should.

“I miss you so much, Jug. And your sister. And your mom too, and I'm so sorry. I drove you all away and I’m so sorry. Jug...Jug I need you guys, I need you all. I don’t know what I’m doing without you,” his dad says, breaking off with a sob. Jughead looks up at the darkening sky, sighing deeply. He’d heard his father cry before, but he had never been vocal about it. He never talked about Jughead’s mom or sister, and Jughead never asked.

“Dad...you’re drunk. Just- just go to bed, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow,” Jughead says, running his hand down his face. 

“I love-I love you, Jug. You’re my son and I love you and wanna do right b-by you,” his father stutters, still obviously crying. 

“I know, dad. I know,” he whispers, closing his eyes again. “Love you too. I’ll call you later.”

He ends the call without waiting for a response. His slips his phone in his pocket and buries his face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. He wanted to have a good night, and he’s not going to let his drunk father ruin that. He is going to go back inside once he cools down, get himself a drink, and enjoy himself for once. 

Jughead lifts his head out of his hands and slips his hat off, clutching it in his hand. He’s staring down at it when he hears the balcony door open and close behind him. He doesn’t need to turn around and see who it is, because immediately Betty is next to him at the railing, looking out at the city.

“I always love to come out here and look at the sunset. It never fails to impress me,” she says quietly. Jughead makes a noise of agreement, toying with the hat in his hands. He feels her eyes land on him, but he doesn’t look up. If he looks into her big, doe eyes right now, he won’t be able to stop the flood of emotions.

“Are you okay?” she asks when he doesn’t say anything. Jughead’s hands stop moving, fists clenching around the fabric as he looks up at the setting sun.

“I will be,” he tells her, and it’s not a lie. He’ll call his dad tomorrow, he’ll scold him for drinking again, be made a promise of sobriety, and then all will be back to normal.

“The party’s in full swing now. You’re missing Veronica dragging Archie around like a show dog,” Betty smiles. Jughead’s lips quirk up in amusement, just picturing a flustered Archie following Veronica around.

“I’ll come back in a minute. Just wanna sit for a bit more,” Jughead tells her, looking back down at his hat. Betty’s eyes follow his, smiling slightly as she puts her hand on his forearm.

“I’ll stay with you. Don’t want you being a loner out here,” she says, patting his arm before replacing her hand onto the railing. Jughead looks up at her, eyes searching her face. He’s about to say something when Betty interrupts him, smirking. “Before you ask, Dylan isn’t here. He left shortly after you came out here.”

“Didn’t get to say goodbye,” Jughead mutters, smirking a bit. He’s not hiding his enjoyment of that, he knows, but Betty laughs anyway.

“I’m sure he’ll manage,” she laughs, and Jughead laughs lightly with her. He looks back down at his hands, a smile still on his face, when Betty’s fingers reach up to play with his hair. Alarmed, he quickly looks up at her, almost forgetting he wasn’t wearing his hat. She just smiles at him, curling a piece around her finger and letting it fall into his eyes.

“Keep your hat off...you look nice,” she whispers, her eyes meeting his. Jughead stares at her, tightly clutching the hat and nodding slowly, not breaking eye contact. She smiles wider and tugs at the loose piece of hair, making him already regret it. “Come on, put it in my room. And your coat too, it’s pretty warm in there with all the lights and people.”

She walks away from the railing and to the door, opening it up. Jughead puffs out a breath of air as he pushes himself off the railing and follows her. She waves to a few people as she leads him to her room, opening the door for him. 

It’s almost everything he expected it to be: clean and simple, yet still with her own added flair. It's nice, and Jughead almost hates to throw is hat and coat down on the neat bed, but he does anyway. Betty doesn't seem to mind, instead smiling and pulling on his suspenders. He fixes her with an unamused look, but she just giggles and walks out of the room.

Jughead follows her out and closes the door behind him, immediately losing her to the crowd. He doesn't mind at the moment, instead going to the kitchen to get a drink. He deserves to let loose for once, and that's exactly what he's going to do. He grabs a glass of the punch that Veronica made, not caring of the ingredients and taking a sip. It tastes surprisingly good, but he knows it dangerous and should be drank carefully.

He finds Archie in the living room, lounging on the couch. He grins when he sees Jughead, waving him over and patting the empty seat beside him. Jughead makes his way over, swerving through people, and finally sits down. Archie claps a hand on his back and turns back to the person he was talking to, introducing him.

When the person finds out he's a photographer, he waves over his friend who's a model. The model, Clarissa, sits beside Jughead and they start talking about all things photography. Jughead knows she's only interested because she wants him to take photos of her, but he doesn't mind. He just likes talking about one of his passions.

At some point, he finishes his drink, and Archie gets up to replace it for him. Jughead thanks him and continues with the conversation, which somehow strayed more towards her modeling. Veronica joins them at some point, Archie offering his seat to her. Jughead will admit that he’s actually having a fun time. Archie supplies him with another drink at some point, and he’s actually starting to feel it. 

Eventually he gets tired of the model constantly putting her hand on his leg and arm, and excuses himself to get another drink. He knows he doesn’t need to drink anymore, but he needed some excuse to get away. And so he decides to pour himself another drink anyways, because  _ he deserves it, damnit. _ This is how Betty finds him, bent over the wine bottle in complete focus.

“Pour me one, too?” she asks him, sidling up next to him. He nods and takes another glass, pouring the expensive wine into it. He hands it to her and she thanks him with a smile, squeezing his arm. He watches her take a sip as she looks around the room, taking a sip of his own.

“Let’s go look at the skyline,” Betty suggests, turning back to him. She smiles wide when Jughead nods in agreement, leading him out of the kitchen. They walk out onto the balcony, only a few people standing around. They sit on two patio chairs, leaning back and sipping their wine. The skyline is breathtaking, and Jughead says as much.

“Believe it or not, I have never sat out here at night. Dinner, yeah, and watching the sunset once in awhile. But never when it’s complete nighttime, with all the lights from the buildings. It’s amazing,” Betty says, her voice sounding so full of passion. Jughead watches her, a smile playing on his lips. Watching Betty talk is one of his favorite things, and Betty is probably his favorite person in the world right now.

She catches him watching her and smiles shyly, nudging him with her elbow. He smiles and nudges her back before taking another sip of his wine and looking up at the night sky. His head feels light, like it could float away at any second. Float away into the night sky, swirling through the stars and-

“Juggie?” he hears Betty giggle, interrupting his thoughts. He snaps his head to look at her, ignoring the dizzy feeling he gets from it. “I asked how you were feeling, but I don’t think you heard me.”

“I’m great, Betts. So great. Greater than I ever have been, in fact,” he tells her, leaning his head back against the chair. His head lolls to the side to look at her, smiling wide. She watches him, and twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

“I saw you talking to that girl, that model. She’s cute,” Betty says, sipping her drink. Jughead’s brow furrows as he takes in her words, quickly shaking his head.

“She’s not cute. I’m not interested in her,” he informs her, head still resting on the seat. She looks at him, curiosity spreading across her features.

“It seemed to me like you were,” she shrugs, taking another sip. Jughead closes his eyes and turns his face to the sky, shaking his head slowly.

“That would be impossible, because i'm obsessed with you, Betty Cooper,” he says simply. He doesn’t see the way her eyes widen, or the way she almost chokes on her wine.

“I’m sorry, what?” Betty asks, staring at him. Jughead smiles, eyes still closed and not facing her.

“I saw your picture and just- you don’t know how beautiful you are, do you? God, Betty, I have no words to describe it. You are always on my mind, how could I possibly think of some other girl I just met?” The words slip out of his mouth, Jughead unable to control them. He finally opens his eyes to look at her, a soft smile on his lips. Betty is staring back at him, face blank and mouth slightly agape. When he looks at her, she turns away quickly, downing the rest of her wine. If Jughead looks closely, he can see the tears forming in her eyes. She blinks them away before he can comment on them, forcing a smile as she stands up.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink. I’ll get you some water, okay?” Betty says quickly. She takes the glass from Jughead’s hand and leaves before he can say anything. She leaves Jughead, mouth agape as he stare after her, replaying what happened in his mind.

“Oh god,” Jughead breathes out. He stands up quickly, but has to steady himself against the wall from the sudden dizziness. He hears someone ask if he’s okay but he doesn’t respond, instead managing his way back inside. He looks around frantically, trying to spot Betty in the crowd. He finds Archie and Veronica instead, who seem confused at his frantic state.

“Have you seen Betty?” he asks as soon as he reaches them. Archie seems taken aback, Veronica putting a hand on his arm, concern written all over her face.

“I saw her run into her room, and she didn’t look okay. Did something happen?” Veronica asks. Jughead takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair, clenching his other fist.

“I messed up. I drank too much and I-I couldn’t stop what I was saying, and I told her how I felt-” Jughead breaks off, breathing picking up.

“But that’s good, right? Now she knows?” Archie offers, trying to sound hopeful. Jughead quickly shakes his head, running a hand down his face.

“She ran off. She said I was drinking too much and just ran off,” Jughead tells them. He feels the sting of tears in his eyes and tries to calm down his breathing. He knows the alcohol is making it ten times worse, and he finds himself regretting this whole night.

“Maybe we should head out, Jug. It’s getting late anyways,” Archie suggests, putting a hand on his shoulder. Jughead nods, but then quickly shakes his head, almost forgetting.

“No, we can’t. My hat, I need my hat. I can’t- it’s in Betty’s room. Arch, I-” Jughead is full on panicking now, but Archie puts both hands on his shoulders, turning his body to face him.

“Hey, Jug, look at me. It’s gonna be fine. You had a bit to drink, which you’re not used to. I’ll go get your hat, and then we’ll get you home, okay?” Archie tells him. Jughead nods, breathing in deep through his nose. Archie nods and walks off, Veronica taking his place. She produces a glass of water, handing it to Jughead who takes gladly takes it. He drinks the entire glass by the time Archie returns, handing Jughead his hat and coat. Jughead quickly pulls the hat on his head and walks out with Archie, keeping his head down the entire time. He tries to convince himself that it will be okay, repeating it in his head until they get home. Best case scenario, Betty was drunk and won’t remember. And maybe he won’t either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was Betty drunk? Will she remember? Will he? These are the questions..
> 
> Hope you liked it!
> 
> Love, Dana xx


	9. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The big reveal of Betty's reaction.
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to @allskynostars for her birthday (I made sure to get it out in time!)
> 
> Please give me feedback and follow my tumblr (totheheartsthatache)

People say there’s nothing worse than waking up with a hangover, but those people have obviously never woken up with a hangover while remembering the stupid things you said the night before.

Jughead had hardly slept through the night. He sat in bed thinking the entire scenario over, replaying what he said and her reaction towards it. Regret flooded his entire body the second she ran away, and Jughead isn’t sure how he was going to fix it.

He hears noise coming from the kitchen at around ten, Archie probably getting ready to go to the gym, which he has the tendency to do. Jughead rolls out of bed and walks out, running a hand through his hair as he walks into the kitchen. Archie is digging through the fridge dressed in his workout gear when Jughead walks in, yawning a good morning. Archie looks up at him, pulling out the orange juice.

“Hey Jug, how’d you sleep?” Archie asks, pouring some orange juice into a glass. Jughead rubs his eyes and sits at the table, leaning his head against the wall.

“I hate myself,” is all Jughead says. Archie stops mid-drink, looking at him. He sighs, putting the glass down before sitting across from Jughead at the table.

“Listen, I know you messed up, but you were drunk. You couldn’t really help it. And it’s not like you were, you know,  _ gross _ about it, she can’t be mad,” Archie says, sounding earnest. Jughead sighs and looks at the ceiling, shaking his head.

“It’s gonna be so awkward, though. I can’t hide from this,” Jughead mutters, looking at his friend. Archie’s eyes look sad, but he forces a tight lipped smile.

“It’ll be alright,” Archie tells him. Jughead wants to believe him, but he can’t in his current state. He nods anyways, Archie accepting it and standing up from the table. “Oh, your phone is in your coat pocket, by the way. I heard it going off just before you woke up, might wanna check that.”

Jughead nods and gets up from the table, walking into the living room where he left his coat last night. He takes his phone out of the pocket and opens it to three text messages, all from Betty.

 

**We haven’t had a shoot in two weeks and I know you have a deadline coming up so I propose a road trip because I need to get out of the city and you probably do too and I've been wanting to go to this one place for ages**

 

**I just realized you're probably asleep**

 

**Okay it's been an hour I'm coming over since you're not gonna answer, see you soon**

 

“Shit,” Jughead mutters, eyes wide. The text was sent fifteen minutes ago, meaning he doesn’t have much time until she shows up. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Archie emerges from the kitchen with his duffel bag, looking at him curiously. “What’s going on?” 

“Betty texted me and she’s going to be here any minute. What do I do?” Jughead panics, looking at him frantically.

“First of all, calm down. It’s still Betty, she’s still your friend, so just be normal. I’d stay, but I really think you should do this on your own,” Archie tells him, patting his shoulder. Jughead sighs and nods, knowing he’s right.

“I’ll manage, I guess,” he mutters, hanging his head. Archie claps him on the back before he’s walking to the door, opening it up.

“Don’t stress yourself too much. Everything will be fine,” Archie tells him before he’s out the door. Jughead groans and plops down on the couch, trying to mentally prepare for whatever is going to happen. He thinks about changing quickly, since he’s still in his pajamas, but there’s a knock on the door, interrupting his thoughts.

“Shit,” Jughead mutters again, not expecting her to be here already. With a deep breath, he stands up and walks to the door, pausing before opening it. Betty is standing there, wearing jeans and a tank top, her hair back in her ponytail. She’s smiling, which scares Jughead.

“Hi, Juggie. Did I wake you?” she asks, stepping inside. Jughead closes the door, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

“No, I was awake. Um, I just read your texts though,” he says, awkwardly remaining by the door. She turns around to look at him, eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, this is probably a big surprise. I was just thinking about it for a while and I think it would be really fun,” she says, smiling shyly. Jughead licks his lips and nods, taking a deep breath.

“No, yeah, no worries. Um, but before you say anything, Betts I-I have to apologize for last night. I-” Jughead starts, stepping towards her. She cuts him off though, shaking her head and smiling kindly at him.

“It’s okay, Jughead. You were drunk, which I don’t blame you for, and it was nothing. Everyone says things they don’t mean when they’re drunk,” she tells him with a shrug. Jughead stops in his tracks, mouth open. She thinks it was a drunken mistake. She doesn’t think he meant it. He’s not really sure if that’s a good thing or not.

“Betts, I-” Jughead sighs, running a hand through his hair. He just realizes now that he’s not wearing his hat, and he feels the panic rise in his chest. 

“Right. I was drunk. Um, excuse me,” he says, and then he’s quickly running off to his room before she says anything in return. He searches for his hat, finding it thrown on the ground underneath his jeans, and quickly pulls it on. The panic doesn’t subside, but he feels a bit more at ease with it on. He makes his way back into the living room, finding Betty looking at the pictures on the bookshelf. 

“Sorry about that,” he says. She spins around when she hears his voice, eyes drifting up to his hat before settling back on his face.

“No need to be sorry,” she replies, sitting down on the couch. Jughead remains standing there, scratching the back of his neck and not knowing what to say next. Betty looks at him and pats the couch next to her, smiling sweetly. Jughead bites the inside of his cheek and moves to sit beside her, keeping a safe distance between them.

Betty is looking at him expectantly, and Jughead racks his brain to find something to say. Clearing his throat and staring down at the floor to avoid her watchful eyes, he says, “So, the roadtrip?”

“Oh, right!” she says, clapping her hands on her knees and making Jughead jump slightly. She pulls out her phone and types in something, scrolling through it as she speaks. “Ever heard of the Catskill Mountains?”

“Maybe? They're in New York, right?” He asks, looking at her curiously. Betty nods and shows him her phone, a picture of the mountains on the screen.

“I want to go there. I've tried asking Veronica but she refuses, but I figured you'd appreciate them. I planned out a whole trip for it already, and we could go for a weekend and stay in Woodstock, which is really close by. And we don’t have to hike or anything, we can just go to sightsee. If you want, that is. I just realized I didn’t really ask you and am just planning all this-” she rambles. Jughead lets out a breathy laughs before finally cutting her off.

“It’s fine, Betts. That sounds really fun,” he assures her. Betty catches her breath and looks at him, her eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve asked. I just get really crazy with planning things sometimes,” she frowns, fumbling with her hands in her lap. Jughead can’t contain how fond he is of her, smiling softly.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think it’s great that you planned everything so I don’t have to,” he says with a shrug, leaning back in his seat. Betty watches him, her face void of any emotion. Jughead suddenly feels nervous under her gaze, as if she can see right through his words. It’s only when he nervously adjusts his hat and looks away that she finally responds, quietly.

“I’ll text you about the details then. I’ll get going, let you rest some more,” she says, standing up. He nods and stands up with her, walking her to the door and letting her out. She hesitates in the doorway, turning around to face him. Her bottom lip is pulled between her teeth and she looks nervous. She opens her mouth to say something, but she quickly shuts it, settling for a small wave before hurrying off. Jughead sighs and closes the door, not feeling any better than he did before she came. If only things could go back to normal

 

\----

 

“Get yourself together, Betty.” 

Betty left Jughead's apartment as quickly as she could, and she really should not have gone there in the first place. She knew it would be weird, but her crazed mind decided to do it anyway.

But it shouldn't be weird because he said he was drunk, right? So it really didn't mean anything, what he said. Everything is fine.

Except Betty is far from fine. She didn't sleep at all, lying in bed trying to figure out what happened and why she felt so numb. In the morning Betty had convinced herself it was all a drunken mistake, and she's relieved to know that she was right. 

Although, she can't help how hurt she feels about it. Veronica was finally starting to convince her that maybe Jughead  _ did  _ like her, and she was starting look at him in a different light. But now that's all shut down, because a guy will never like Betty, let alone  _ two _ .

Betty had almost forgotten about Dylan. During this entire Jughead crisis, she forgot about the lovely guy that  _ actually _ likes her, and who she is definitely stringing along. She knows she should break things off with him, but there's still that nagging voice inside of her saying  _ you won't get anyone else _ and Betty can't ignore it no matter how hard she tries. 

 

\----

 

They’re making it a weekend trip. It's Friday afternoon and they are getting ready to make the drive to Woodstock where Betty found a little bed & breakfast to stay at for the night. They'd grab dinner when they get there and maybe look around the town. Saturday they'd be going to the mountains and spending time there before going back home afterwards. Jughead is a little nervous about being completely alone with Betty, but he’s not going to make it awkward. They’ve gotten past what happened at the party, or so it seems at least.

Archie is letting Jughead borrow his jeep, which he’s driving over to pick Betty up. Archie is in the passenger seat since he’s spending the night with Veronica, which Jughead is  _ not _ thinking about-- Archie and Veronica being intimate equals gross.

“Have a good time Jug, take lots of pictures and try not to be too broody,” Archie says as he climbs out of the jeep. Jughead rolls his eyes, taking the keys out of the ignition.

“Sure thing, Arch. Make sure to clean any surfaces you may utilize,” Jughead responds with a straight face, staring at him. Archie’s face breaks out in a grin as he shuts the door, shaking his head. Jughead mimics tipping his hat in Archie’s direction, smirking slightly. He watches him walk into the building and gets out himself, walking around the car to lean against the side of it. 

When Betty comes down a few minutes later, her smile almost splits her face when she sees Jughead. She's wearing shorts, and he doesn't pay attention to the rest of her outfit because  _ those legs _ . Jughead stares at them as she makes her way over, and is only brought back to earth when she throws her arms around him. He's frozen for a second before and wraps his arms around her, still thinking about her long, toned, pale-

“Juggie, I am so excited! Thank you so much for coming with me, again, I'm so thankful for you,” Betty interrupts his thoughts, squeezing him tight. He squeezes her once before letting her step back, the grin still on her face.

“Of course, Betts. I'm excited too,” he says, taking the backpack off her shoulder. He walks around to the trunk to throw it in with his, then gets back behind the wheel. Betty is already sitting in the passenger seat and typing on her phone. He starts the car and then they're off.

 

\----

 

They're not even halfway there when they're pulling into a fast food drive thru.

“I didn't eat before I picked you up, Betty,” Jughead tries to reason, pulling up behind a car in the line.

“That is not my fault, Jughead. You're an adult,” she retorts, crossing her arms. Jughead shakes his head and pulls up to the speaker, placing his order. Betty relents and gets a fries and a drink, and then he's pulling away.

“I thought you ate already,” he smirks, pulling out his wallet. She just shrugs, avoiding his comment and grabbing her purse from the floor.

“Let me pay for this,” she says, pulling out her wallet.

“No, absolutely not. You planned this whole trip, this is my treat,” he says, pulling out an appropriate amount of cash. She's frowning at him, but she knows she won't win if she fights it. Instead she just sits there as he pays and hands her the food, saying a thank you to the worker as he drove off.

“Thanks, Juggie,” she smiles, handing him his burger. She puts both of their drinks in the cup holders and takes out her fries.

Jughead drives with one hand on the wheel and the other holding his burger, while Betty messes with the radio. Eventually she gives up and plugs in her phone, turning on some indie alternative music that he's never heard of in his life.

He finishes his burger quickly and throws the wrapper in the bag. Betty notices this, still eating her fries, and laughs slightly. 

“You ate that so fast,” she comments, laughing. Jughead just shrugs because _yes_ he eats fast _,_ he _knows_ that. “Do you want a fry?”

Jughead glances at her to see her holding out a fry for him. Jughead reaches for it and only just notices the bandage on her palm. He hesitates, glancing at the road for a second before glancing back. She's looking at him questioningly, and Jughead decides to not comment on it now. He takes the fry from her with a thankful smile and pops it into his mouth, focusing back on the road.

They sit in a comfortable silence, Betty humming to all the songs she plays and Jughead focusing on his driving. It's a short drive, only about two hours, and they're making good time. Betty has the directions up on her phone and is updating him on the estimated time of arrival.

When they're fifteen minutes out, Betty casually informs him that she's trying to figure out how to call things off with Dylan. Jughead almost crashes the car when she says this, but clears his throat to keep his calm composure.

“How come? If you don't mind me asking,” Jughead mutters, facing straight ahead.

“Of course you can ask, Jug. But I just...don't like him as much as he likes me? And I think it's been like that since the beginning but I just-I just held onto him, you know?” And no, Jughead does not know, but he pretends to for her sake. 

“Just friend zone the guy. He can take it,” Jughead tells her, shrugging. He glances at her with a smile, and she thankfully smiles back at him. She leans over and lays her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him.

“Thanks Juggie, you're the best,” she says, and he knows she means it. She stays like that until the reach their destination, even though it had to be uncomfortable. But Jughead doesn't mind at all.

He finds a parking spot near the door and gets out, grabbing their bags from the trunk. He hands Betty hers and they venture inside to check in. Betty's the one to go up to the desk, since she made the reservation, but Jughead stays close behind.

He's half listening to what Betty and the older lady are saying, mostly looking around the place. If he had one word to describe the place, it'd be quirky. There's old fashioned wallpaper with weird paintings, and a lot of loose trinkets all around the place. He's drawn back to focus when Betty taps his arm, smiling up at him.

“Our room is ready,” is all she says. He just nods and follows her up to the room, greeting someone the walk past. He's admiring a painting outside of the door Betty is opening, so he misses Betty's frozen state in the doorway until he crashes into her back.

“Betty, what the hell are you doing?” He asks, maneuvering her out of the way so he can step in. He looks inside the room and the first thing he notices is the single full size bed in the middle of the room.

“There's one bed,” he states, staring at it in shock. He drops his bag on a chair near the door and takes in the rest of the room. The floral wallpaper that matches the floral bedspread. The velvet chair and stuffed dog sitting on it. The dark green shag rug and striped curtains, and the frozen Betty with tears in her eyes. 

“I specifically said two beds. Two! What are two people supposed to do with one bed, Jug, I'm so sorry. I messed this all up and I'm sorry if the trip is going to be ruined-” she pauses to catch her breath, eyes wide and full of tears.

“Fuck, Betts,” Jughead mutters, hurrying over to pull her into his arms. He rubs her back as she catches her breath, soothing her until she's calm. “You take the one bed, alright? I'm used to sleeping in weird places, so I can take the floor or even the bathtub. No problems at all.”

“Jug, I can't ask you to do that,” Betty whispers, shaking her head.

“Well good thing you're not asking,” he smiles, letting her go. She sighs, but forces a small smile as she looks at him. “Get some rest, and then we can see about dinner. I'm gonna take some pictures around this place.”

“They serve dinner at six, so we have time,” Betty tells him, sitting down on the bed. Jughead nods and grabs his camera out of his bag. He turns back around to find Betty curled up on the bed, sitting on her phone. Nodding to himself, he walks out of the room and closes the door, leaning against it immediately. It was going to be a long weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's the night gonna go???
> 
> If you've seen the movie Leap Year, you can see my inspiration for this chapter. Will it end like that???
> 
> We'll see!


	10. The Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not edited and is probably really horrible, but I needed to get something out since it's been TWO WEEKS which is way too long. 
> 
> Completely a filler so not much happens but BEAR WITH ME PLEASE.
> 
> Let me know what you think (tumblr is totheheartsthatache)

Betty didn’t get any sleep after Jughead disappeared. She tried, but she couldn’t get her brain to stop thinking about  _ everything _ . She couldn’t stop thinking about what Jughead said about Dylan and how she lied about who she was going with on this trip with. It’s not like she’s doing anything wrong, and she doesn’t know why she did it, but she did.

That is why, ten minutes after Jughead leaves, Betty finds herself picking up her phone and calling Dylan. If she’s gonna do this, it has to happen as soon as possible.

He answers after a few rings, and Betty’s heart breaks when she hears how happy he sounds. He asks her how the drive was, and how the hotel is, and she answers with short responses, not giving her much detail. He’s asking her more and more questions, but Betty finally gets tired of it and cuts him off. 

“Dylan, I don’t think this is working out,” she blurts out. Dylan immediately quiets on the other end, as she expected. Neither of them say anything for a few moments, Betty holding her breath. Finally, after what seems like forever, Dylan finally says something.

“I kind of figured,” he says, and Betty did not expect  _ that _ . “It’s that guy, isn’t it? The one you were with when I met you?”

“No! No, he’s- we’re friends. He’s just a good friend, that’s all,” Betty tries to explain. She hears him sigh deeply, and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. He doesn’t say anything, so she decides to give him a better explanation. “It’s just not good timing for me. I can’t give you what you want. And I’m really sorry, you’re a really good guy, but you deserve better.”

“I understand, Betty. I appreciate that you told me. I could kind of sense it, and didn’t get my hopes up for anything. Maybe we can stay friends?” he offers and, wow, why does he have to be so nice? Betty feels the tears sting her eyes, guilt washing over her.

“Thank you for taking this so well. I didn’t expect this, I’m so sorry,” she whispers, wiping at her eyes. Dylan laughs lowly on the other end, and he is taking this  _ far  _ too lightly.

“It’s okay. I promise you didn’t hurt my feelings too bad,” he says, and the smile is evident in his voice. Betty lets out a shaky breath, and it’s easy from that point on. They chat about her plans for the trip and his plans for the rest of the summer. It’s nice, as if she didn’t just break up with him. Betty thinks that maybe this friend thing could actually work.

She ends the call after ten more minutes of chatting. She somehow feels lighter when it’s over, and she doesn’t cry like she thought she would. Instead, she sits there in the middle of the bed until Jughead returns, looking at her questioningly.

“Betts?” he asks, putting his camera down on the nightstand. She looks up at him, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks again. Jughead’s eyes widen at the movement, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

“I broke off things with Dylan,” she says, voice quiet. Jughead places his hand between her shoulder blades, letting her lean against him.

“I’m sorry. How did it go?” he asks, rubbing her back gently. Betty lays her head on his shoulder, exhaling deeply.

“It was fine. More than fine, actually, and I just feel really weird about it,” she explains. Glancing up at him, she sees him looking confused. Sighing, she pulls at a thread on the comforter as she continues. “He almost felt it coming, and said he didn’t expect anything from me. He was so nice and understanding about it, but I still feel guilty.”

“If he’s okay, you shouldn’t feel bad. Don’t blame yourself because you didn’t have feelings for him,” he says, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Betty bites her lip and debates telling him what Dylan said about Jughead and her being together. Deciding it would be an awkward thing to bring up, she sits up and smiles softly at him.

“Thanks, Jughead. You’re a good friend,” she says, and misses the way he drops his gaze, his posture stiffening slightly. Betty sits back up, Jughead dropping his arm from around her and standing up from the bed.

“Um, I think dinner should be served by now. So, if you wanna go eat,” Jughead says, clearing his throat. Betty nods and stands up, Jughead awkwardly moving towards the door. Betty smooths out the wrinkles on her clothes and wipes at her face, trying to look presentable. Jughead opens the door for her to walk out, and together they walk down to the dining room. 

The room is set up for a buffet, all the food set out on one table against the wall with small, square tables scattered around the room. Jughead makes a beeline for the buffet, and Betty wordlessly follows him. It’s comfort food, including roast beef and vegetables and even homemade mac n cheese. Jughead piles the food on his plate, while Betty only gets a little bit of everything, ignoring the look Jughead shoots her. She finds them an empty table and sits down as Jughead finishes getting food. There’s a pitcher of water on the table and Betty pours the two of them a glass before Jughead sits down next to her.

“I think they need bigger plates,” he says as he sits down. Betty snickers and shakes her head, piercing a piece of lettuce with her fork.

“You ate a few hours ago, how are you so hungry?” she asks, chewing her salad. Jughead shakes his head, cutting his roast beef and taking a bite.

“I am a growing boy, Betts. I need my energy,” he explains, obnoxiously stuffing more food into his mouth. Betty just laughs and eats her own food, the two of them settling into a comfortable silence. An older couple joins them eventually, Betty having already cleared her plate. The older lady makes light conversation with them, Betty easily conversing with her. 

There’s a point where Jughead inches his plate closer to Betty, silently urging her to eat some more. She knows what he’s doing, and even though she doesn’t like it she decides not to argue. She smiles as she takes a bite of food, Jughead smiling back at her.

“Oh, aren’t you two just the cutest!” the old lady exclaims. Both Betty and Jughead look up at her in surprise, Jughead choking a bit on his food and Betty’s fork clattering onto her plate.

“No, no, we’re not- we’re friends,” Betty quickly explains. Jughead clears his throat, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I just figured-” the old lady seems frantic now, motioning between the two of them. Her husband is just sitting there not saying a word, and Betty almost wishes she were him.

“It’s fine, ma'am. We are very close, but yes, we’re just friends,” Jughead says calmly, swallowing his last bit of food. The old man suddenly starts laughing, his wife slapping his shoulder and scolding him. Betty bites back a laugh, placing her napkin back on the table and standing up. Jughead follows her lead, standing up quickly with a weak smile.

“We’ve had a long day, so we better get going. It was really great to meet you, enjoy the rest of your vacation,” Betty says sweetly. The couple smiles at her, waving as she exits the room, Jughead following close behind her. They don’t say anything as they make their way up to the room, Betty immediately sitting down on the bed. Jughead closes the door silently, Betty waiting for him to face her as he finally breaks the silence.

“Was that weird for you? Her thinking we were together?” he asks tentatively, lingering by the door. He seems nervous as Betty thinks about her answer, smiling slightly.

“No, not for me. I can see why she thought that,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “Was it weird for you?”

“No! No, it was fine. I mean, I’m pretty lucky to have you as my fake girlfriend,” Jughead says, looking sheepish. Betty’s face splits in a grin, standing up from the bed and facing him.

“I’m the lucky one, Jug. Wanna see what’s on tv before going to bed?” Jughead nods his affirmation, walking over to pick up the remote. Betty slips off her shoes and rummages through her bag as he turns the television on, standing in the middle of the room. Grabbing a pair of shorts and a tshirt, she walks into the bathroom to change quickly. When she goes back into the room, Jughead is settled on the bed in sweatpants and the shirt he was already watching, leaning against the headboard with his hands folded in his lap and the blankets pushed to the foot of the bed.

“I put on House Hunters because there’s nothing else on” he tells her as she puts her clothes beside her bag. He watches Betty as she takes her hair out of its ponytail, falling into loose waves on her shoulders. She walks over to the bed and sits beside him, settling back against the pillows and smiling at him.

“Lucky for you, it’s my favorite show on HGTV,” she says. Jughead smiles and they both look back at the tv, watching the couple rattle off their wishlist. They watch silently for a few minutes before Betty shifts closer to him, sleepiness washing over her. She moves until her entire side is pressed up against Jughead’s, laying her head on his shoulder. She can feel his body stiffen, but it’s not long before he’s relaxing, leaning in towards her.

They watch the remainder of the episode, another one starting right after. Jughead has slowly shifted down the bed, leaning back mostly on the pillows with one arm behind his head. Betty glances up at him, noticing how tired he looks, his eyes barely open as he watches the show.

“Juggie,” she says softly, watching him blink a few times before looking at her. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor tonight. You’re too tired and there’s enough space to share the bed.”

Jughead blinks at her, seemingly more alert now. “Are you sure? I don’t really mind, I’m used-”

“Please just sleep with me,” Betty blurts. She realizes how that must sound when she sees Jughead’s eyes widen slightly, but she’s too tired to care. She stares him down until he sighs, his posture relaxing as he gives in to her demands. Smiling slightly, Betty lays her head back down on his chest, watching the show. 

“Are you okay? About Dylan?” Jughead asks after a few minutes of silence. Betty doesn’t lift her head as she nods, keeping her eyes focused on the tv.

“I told you I was, and I really mean it. We weren’t meant to be together, and he deserves someone who can give him more than I could,” she says simply. She feels Jughead shift around underneath her head, his arm coming around to wrap around her back.

“You do know that you are an amazing person? Like, the best person I’ve ever met, and you deserve the world, more so than him,” he tells her. Betty doesn’t dare look at him, closing her eyes and fisting the sheets in one hand. “And it kills me to hear you say those things about yourself, to see you hide those bandages on your hands. You are incredible, Betty Cooper, and you need to recognize that.”

Betty’s eyes shoot open at his words, her hands instinctively moving out of sight. Jughead is quick to grab them though, sitting up and taking them both in his hands. Betty sits up with him and realizes how close they are, his head leaning down towards hers. She looks up into his eyes, just now noticing that his hat has disappeared and his dark hair is falling into his eyes. He breaks their eye contact to look down at their joined hands, slowly bringing them up to press his lips against them. Betty takes a sharp breath as she watches him press a gentle kiss to her knuckles, holding her hands tight. 

Jughead looks back up at her and barely has time to drop her hands before she’s falling into him, hugging him tight. He hugs her back just as tight, pressing his face into her hair. She doesn’t cry, and she lets go shortly to look up at him, hoping he can see the ‘thank you’ in her eyes. She assumes he does, because he smiles gently before leaning back, pulling her down with him and holding her close. She lays her head on his chest and thinks that maybe, just maybe, this is how it’s meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh?
> 
> I really want you guys to ask me questions about the story (in depth questions are really cool, like ones with some real thought, but all questions are great) so hit up my tumblr or even the comments section, I'm not picky. And if you wanna know more about me, don't be afraid to ask!
> 
> Love you all, hope you're not too mad
> 
> Dana xx


	11. The Catskills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: there is a scene in this chapter with a made up location, because I have a vivid imagination and it needed to be done.  
> Other than that, enjoy!

Nothing could ever have prepared Jughead for the sight of Betty in the morning. She is still sleeping, curled up into his side, with her head on his arm. Jughead finds himself having a hard time breathing, and not just because her arm is thrown over his stomach. He can’t breathe because Betty is the most beautiful person he has ever seen, and she is in his arms instead of some other guy’s. But she’s still not his,  _ yet _ .

Trying not to disturb her sleep, Jughead slowly slips out from underneath her, his gaze lingering on her sleeping form before going into the bathroom. He takes a quick (and cold) shower, and by the time he exits the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, Betty is awake and sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed. She looks up from her phone when Jughead walks in, and he can feel himself blush when her eyes drop down to his towel. He busies himself by digging in his bag, making sure to hold onto his towel with one hand. 

“So the drive is about less than an hour. If we leave soon, we’ll be able to spend a good amount of time there before heading back home,” Betty says from behind him. He pulls out the clothes he wants to wear and turns around, only to crash straight into Betty. He freezes and drops his clothes, his other hand gripping his towel so tight his knuckles turn white, while Betty yelps from the surprise. 

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Betty exclaims. 

“No! My fault,” Jughead tries to explain, but Betty suddenly drops to her knees bending down to pick up his clothes for him. “No, Betty, stop. I got it.”

At Jughead’s words, Betty stops reaching for the clothes and looks up at him, still on her knees. Obscene thoughts pop into Jughead’s mind, Betty looking up at him with those big eyes which may one day give him an ulcer. He clears his throat before kneeling down, keeping a firm hold of his towel. He grabs the clothes and looks up at her, his hair falling into his eyes without his beanie to hold it back. There’s a brief moment where neither of them move, and Jughead doesn’t breathe as he looks into her eyes. Betty’s eyes flick down to his lips, then trail down the rest of his body before meeting back with his. There’s a shift in the air when their eyes meet again, and Jughead finds himself leaning closer, as if magnetized by Betty. But suddenly Betty is gone, standing up quickly and taking a step back.

“I’m going to get ready,” she says quickly, and then she’s running into the bathroom with a pile of clothes that Jughead hadn’t even seen her grab. He remains on his knees for a moment, replaying what happened in his head. He groans to himself and stands up, slapping himself in the face and groaning loudly.

“Stop fucking up,” he mutters to himself, quickly getting dressed in case Betty comes out of the bathroom. He spots his beanie on the nightstand and hesitates, debating putting it on. He settles for wearing it, feeling a little too nervous to be without it.

He’s just pulling his hat on when Betty emerges, fully dressed in shorts and a white v-neck shirt. Her hair is wet and she brushes through it with her fingers as she glances at Jughead’s hat, frowning slightly. Jughead pretends to ignore her, grabbing his bag and packing it up. Betty wanders over to her bag beside his, wordlessly packing up their things. He doesn’t know if it’s just him that’s being awkward, or if she’s feeling the same, but he really wishes it would change.

“I’ll check us out while you start the car, okay?” Betty says as she slings her bag over her shoulder. Jughead grabs his own bag and looks at her, frowning slightly before holding his hand out.

“I’ll take your bag and pack it in the trunk,” he offers. Betty nods and gives her bag to him, Jughead holding it in his hand as they leave the room. She does a quick glance around the room to make sure everything is okay before closing the door, walking down the stairs with Jughead. When they reach the lobby, she veers off towards the front desk while Jughead walks out the doors and towards the car.

He pops the trunk and is about to throw the bags in when something catches his eye. A garment bag is sitting on top of  the folded blankets that Betty advised him to pack. It hadn’t been there yesterday when Jughead had packed 

everything, and he definitely hadn’t noticed it this morning, though he wasn’t focusing that much. He’s still standing there staring at it when Betty emerges from the doors, walking over to him. She appears by his side, curiously looking up at him and lightly touching his forearm.

“Jug, what are you staring at?” she asks, taking her bag from his hand and peering inside of the trunk.

“What is that?” he asks, pointing at the garment bag. Betty follows his finger and looks at it, groaning once she sees it.

“Veronica bought me this dress, and she must have had Archie pack it. I probably won’t even have a chance to wear it, since we’ll be in the mountains,” Betty says, throwing her bag in. She quickly moves around to the passenger side of the jeep and gets in, leaving Jughead just standing there. He quickly puts his bag in the trunk and closes it, getting in behind the wheel. Betty is leaning against the door and looking out the window, her fingers tapping on her thigh. Jughead silently starts the car, Betty having already turned on her GPS to relay the directions to him. 

It takes them about 45 minutes to arrive, the entire ride silent aside from the random Top 40 radio station playing quietly in the background. Jughead pulls the car into a designated area near one of the campgrounds, Betty getting out as soon as he turns the car off. He sits there for another moment, hands grasping the steering wheel and letting out a deep sigh. 

Betty already has the trunk open with her things out by the time Jughead finally emerges from the car. She waits for him to get his camera equipment and shut the trunk, hugging the garment bag to her chest and looking troubled.

“Hey, Bets, what’s going on?” Jughead asks gently. SHe startles slightly and looks up at him, snapped out of her daze. 

“Nothing, sorry. Lead the way,” she says quickly, motioning to the side. He watches her for another moment, watches how she doesn’t meet his eyes and looks anywhere else, before he’s walking off. 

Finding the perfect spot for the pictures wasn’t hard. Jughead had done his research beforehand, almost as soon as Betty suggested the trip, so he knew exactly where he was going.  He leads Betty to an area within a minute’s walk of the car, with tall grass and a small lake nearby, the sun bright and glaring down on them. Betty glances around before setting out a blanket on the ground, laying her bag on top of it. Jughead decides against using his tripod, sitting it down on the blanket too. Betty unties the denim shirt from around her waist and puts it on, buttoning it up quickly.

“Do you want me to take my hair down?” she asks as Jughead is taking test pictures of the grass. He glances up and takes in her appearance, his eyes trailing up her entire body before finally landing on her face. She’s still not meeting his eyes, so he looks up at her tight ponytail, his lips quirking up.

“I think you should keep it. Looks good, the most you,” he says, putting the camera strap around his neck. She smiles slightly before stepping away from the blanket, closer to him.

“So how do you want me?” she asks and Jughead almost chokes. If she realizes the innuendo, she doesn’t show it, and just places her hands on her hips as she waits for his answer.

“Um, in the grass,” he says, clearing his throat. She nods and walks over to the edge of the tall grass, glancing back at him curiously. He nods his assurance and she makes her way through the tall grass, going in deep enough that Jughead can no longer see the water. “Yeah, right here is good.”

She stops and turns to face him, and Jughead is in awe of the way the sun is hitting her, giving her an almost angelic look. She glances around at the grass, playing with a few of the stalks, and Jughead can’t resist snapping a picture. Betty doesn’t even flinch, just continues acting normally and candidly. Jughead moves around her, taking pictures through the grass.

The eventually move out of the grass and towards the lake, Betty discarding the jean shirt to pose in her black tank top. She even lets her hair down and takes her shoes off to stand in the water after a while, splashing water around and smiling so wide it makes Jughead want to cry.

Betty somehow manages to convince Jughead to follow her into the water, allowing him to set his camera down beforehand. He removes his shoes and rolls his jeans up past his ankles before slowly walking into the water. Betty isn’t far out, the water just reaching the middle of her calves, her back facing him. She seems lost in deep thought, staring out at the horizon, so Jughead decides to grab at her waist to scare her, causing her to jump nearly two feet in the air and spin around to hit him.

“Juggie! You can’t do that when we’re in the middle of nowhere!” Betty squeaks, smacking his arm again. Jughead just laughs and tickles at her waist, causing her to squirm and try beating his chest, which only makes him laugh harder. 

“Betts, Betts! Stop it, I’m sorry, ouch! I’m sorry, I’ll stop,” he finally resigns, trying to speak through his laughter. Betty stops beating him but continues to glare, Jughead keeps his hands firmly planted on her waist. She stares up at him and a smile slowly spreads across her face as she seems to inch closer. He can’t help but smile back, but he suddenly feels breathless as he looks down at her perfect, pink lips.

Time seems to stop as they stare at each other. Just as Jughead thinks it’s going to happen, that he’s finally going to be able to taste that chapstick she always uses, she disappears from his sight. As soon as he can’t see her anymore, he feels the water splashing against his shirt. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and when he opens them he sees Betty grinning evilly at him.

“Oh, now you’ve done it,” he says, and then relentlessly starts splashing Betty with water. She screams out and starts running back to the shore, but Jughead is quick to grab her around the waist to restrain her. She tries to get free by squirming in his arms, but he is too strong for her. He arches back to lift her off her feet, which only makes her squirms more frantic and her laughter louder. 

“Juggie, no!” she says through her constant giggles, kicking her feet out.

“Only if you apologize,” he says and fakes dropping her, causing her to scream out.

“I’m sorry! Juggie, please!” she giggles. He slowly sets her back down, but keeps his arms firmly around her waist. She tries to break free but he doesn’t let her, grinning when she turns around to pout at him.

“Now say that I am the best person you have ever met and no photographer will ever compare to me,” he says. Betty rolls her eyes and sighs, looking up at him.

“Jughead Jones, you are the best photographer on this planet and I am glad to have met you,” she says softly, smiling it him. Jughead pauses for a second, looking down into her eyes to see the smile in them.

“Not quite what I said, but I’ll take it,” he says, letting go of her. She smiles and pats him on the cheek before turning around to walk back to the shore.

“Now I’ll have to change, thanks to you,” she calls over her shoulder, walking over to the blanket where her garment bag is. She peels over her wet denim shirt to reveal her bare shoulders, and takes her hair out of its tie to shake it out. Jughead watches her grab the blanket to wrap around her shoulders and pick up her garment bag, looking around.

“Um, if you need to change I’ll give you the car keys. There also might be a bathroom around if you’d rather do that,” he tells her. She looks at him, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip before holding out her hand. Reading this as her answer, Jughead pulls the keys out of his pocket and tosses them to her, Betty catching them with ease.

“I’ll be quick,” she says, and then she’s off. When he’s sure she’s far enough, Jughead let’s out a loud groan as he slumps to the ground, putting his face in his hands. 

“Think of Archie, think of Archie, think of Archie,” he mutters to himself, trying to picture anything other than a wet Betty. He shudders at the thought of a wet Archie and sighs, lifting his head up to the sky. “Why must you punish me so?”

“Who are you talking to?” he hears Betty ask from behind him. He tries to quickly come up with a witty remark but finds himself at a loss for words when he turns around to look at her. She’s wearing a long black dress with her hair down and Jughead isn’t sure if she’s ever looked more beautiful.

“Wow,” he breathes, unable to take his eyes off of her. She blushes slightly and looks down at herself, smoothing the dress down.

“Is it too much? I feel like it might be too much for this location,” she says, frowning up at him.

“No! It’s not. You look beautiful,” he says quickly. She smiles softly, her cheeks slightly pink and he shrinks under her gaze. “Actually, um, I know a perfect spot we can go. Did some research, ya know.”

“You do always come prepared, Jughead Jones,” she smiles, tossing the keys back to him. He fumbles a bit but catches them, his face permanently red as he picks up his camera equipment. He silently walks towards the car, Betty following close behind him. When they reach the car, Jughead quickly opens the passenger door for her, earning a thankful smile from her. He closes the door and runs around to the other side, getting behind the wheel and starting up the car. He’s nearly shaking with excitement just thinking about the surprise spot and how much Betty will love it.

“Oh my gosh, look how beautiful it is!” Betty says suddenly, and it’s the exact reaction that Jughead was hoping for. He parks the car off the side of the road and turns to Betty, grinning.

“I came upon this spot while doing my research and I thought you’d like it,” he tells her. She peels her eyes away from the window, looking away from the endless field of flowers, and gives him a giant grin.

“Jug, it’s incredible, and it will look even better in your pictures,” she says, her eyes earnest. Jughead feels his face heat up but quickly jumps out of the car before she notices, grabbing his camera from the back. She follows his lead as he steps off of the gravel road and into the grass, pulling the camera out of the bag for a few test shots. She makes her way into the flowers, the wind blowing her dress back slightly. Jughead takes the opportunity to snap a picture of her, and from that point on they slip into photoshoot mode. Betty effortlessly poses for him, having become more confident in his pictures. She knows exactly when and how to pose without Jughead telling her, which makes it all much easier for him.

His boss had commented on Betty when he last met with her and showcased his portfolio. Not only was she impressed with his photos, but also the main focus of them. She could see the way Betty had progressed throughout all of the shoots and was impressed, enough to ask for even more from her. Jughead told her he would talk to Betty about it, and was just waiting for the perfect time to do it.

The wind picks up slightly, and it’s not long before Jughead is calling it quits. The sun is still blaring down on them, getting late in the afternoon, and he thinks he has taken enough photos. He takes a few more of the scenery while Betty changes in the car, because it is too beautiful to not remember forever.

“Ready to head back home?” Betty calls out from behind him, dressed in shorts and a white tank top with a plaid shirt over it this time.

“How many outfits did you bring?” Jughead asks jokingly, walking over to the car. She laughs slightly and shrugs, climbing into the passenger side. He puts his camera away and gets behind the wheel, Betty already plugging her phone into the aux cord and setting up the gps. “Hey, who said you can play your music?”

“I did. Now stop complaining and drive, Jones. It’s going to be the best ride of your life,” she grins, and Jughead willingly obeys. He doesn’t need her to tell him that, however. Even if he had to drive for twenty hours, as long as he is with Betty, he’d enjoy every second of it. He’s whipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did ya miss me?   
> Hope you liked the chapter! As always, come visit me on tumblr (totheheartsthatache)  
> Love you all,
> 
> xx Dana


	12. The Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again in the spirit of the (American) holiday! Thankful for you all <3

“Honey, I’m home!” Jughead calls out as soon as he and Betty step over the threshold of his apartment. He’s met with silence, however, and a completely empty apartment.

“Maybe they’re at my place?” Betty suggests, setting her bag down. As soon as she says it, a loud thump is heard from Archie’s bedroom, followed by a holler and a giggle. Jughead freezes as the bedroom door opens to show an almost naked Archie, clad in only boxers and looking a bit frazzled.

“Oh, hey guys. Didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” he says, and Jughead could not be more horrified. That is, until Veronica pops up behind him with only a sheet wrapped around her.

“Oh my gosh, how was your trip? I need to see all of the photos, asap!” Veronica says, a wide grin on her face. 

“Yeah, sure. But maybe after you’re, uh...decent,” Jughead mutters, motioning towards their appearances. Neither of them seem to mind, simply shrugging in sync much to Jughead’s disgust. “Right, you two finish what you were doing. We will, uh, be in my room.”

With that, Jughead grabs Betty’s hand and makes a beeline for his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He drops her hand and immediately plops facedown on the bed with a loud groan. He feels the bed shift and turns over to find Betty sitting crossed leg beside him, smiling widely.

“Aren’t they so cute?” she asks, bouncing slightly on the bed. Jughead rolls his eyes and props himself up on one elbow, looking up at her.

“If by cute you mean disgusting and annoying, then yes, you are correct,” he says with a straight face, causing Betty to pout out her bottom lip.

“Oh come on, Jug, why do you have to be so negative. Who hurt you?” she asks teasingly, tugging on his hat. On instinct he reaches up and holds his hat down, Betty’s hand dropping down to the bed. He looks up at her, their eyes connecting, and Jughead feels compelled to be honest with her.

“My mom left us,” he blurts out. She looks taken aback, hand lifting up slightly as if to reach out to him, but thinks twice and sets it back down, letting him continue. “She left when I was young, because she couldn’t handle my dad anymore. She left and took my sister, but didn’t take me because she thought I’d end up just like him and didn’t want to deal with that.”

“Oh, Juggie,” Betty whispers, reaching out to take the hand that’s toying with a loose thread on the blanket. He looks away from her, can’t bear to see that sad look on her face.

“It’s been years since I’ve even heard from her. Sometimes we’d call, but that stopped a few years back. Was too much for her, I guess,” he mutters. Betty’s hand tightens around his, bringing it up to her chest to envelope with her free hand.

“Do you not believe in love, because of her?” she asks quietly, her thumb rubbing along his in a comforting way. Jughead stops for a second to think,  _ do I really believe in love?  _

“No, I do. I believe that there is someone out there for everyone, there has to be,” he decides. She nods, accepting his answer, and he looks back up at her, squeezing her hand. “I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me, you see.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Betty says, shaking her head.

“No, really. Nothing has ever lasted, Betty. No one ever seems to stick around, and I don’t want to become like my dad, I don’t want to fall under her assumptions, but what if it’s just in my genes?”

“Jughead Jones, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You may not be able to choose who your parents are, but you can choose who  _ you _ are. If you don’t want to be like your dad, then you’re not  _ going  _ to be, do you hear me?” Betty says, and Jughead can only nod. “You are a beautiful person, inside and out. You’re probably my favorite person, Jughead, and I know that there is a girl out there that you are going to make so,  _ so  _ happy. You just need to wait and see.”

Her voice gets quiet at the end of her speech, her eyes dimming. Jughead wants so badly to grab her and tell her that that girl is her, wants to just grab her and kiss her, but they’re interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

“Jug! Come show us the pictures!” he hears Archie say, and Jughead has never hated him more than right now. Betty seems to be shaken out of a trance, her hands falling to her lap as she stares at a spot on the bed.

“Yeah, one sec!” Jughead calls out, sitting up straight. He stares at the door for a second before turning to Betty, who’s still staring at nothing and not moving. “Thank you, Betty. You’re my favorite person too.”

And if those words have more meaning to them, well, no one needs to know.

 

\----

 

“I’m still angry you didn’t tell me about Dylan as soon as you dumped him.”

Betty and Veronica left the boys’ apartment after Jughead had been through all of the pictures twice. Veronica had claimed she wanted every detail of the trip, so as soon as the girls got home, Betty sat and told her everything she wanted to hear.

“It isn’t that big of a deal, V. It was pleasant, if anything,” Betty sighs, leaning back on the couch. Veronica levels her with a stern look, squinting at her before she waves her hand as if waving away the subject.

“Whatever, that’s not even the most pressing subject. You and Jughead seriously didn’t kiss? Didn’t profess your love?” she asks, and Betty can’t stop the blush creeping up her neck.

“Why would we?” she feigns confusion, but she knows exactly why they would. Betty can’t deny it anymore--she likes Jughead. 

“Oh, come on! You went on a romantic getaway together! You shared a room at a bed and breakfast!” Veronica exclaims.

“A bed. We shared a bed,” Betty adds, and immediately regrets it. Veronica’s eyes widen and suddenly she’s grabbing Betty by the shoulders, shaking her frantically.

“Elizabeth Cooper, I cannot believe you shared a bed with the love of your life and didn’t think to immediately tell your best friend of all time! How do you not lead with that information?” Veronica practically yells. Betty flinches and pulls herself out of Veronica’s grasp, hugging a pillow to her chest.

“I know you want us to be together, but it’s not like it’s that simple,” Betty says quietly, which makes Veronica stop moving. She looks sad all of the sudden, frowning at Betty and reaching a hand out to touch her arm.

“I know you just broke up with Dylan, so I understand why you wouldn’t want to jump into thing with Jughead so soon. But you can’t deny it any longer, you guys like each other,” Veronica says. Betty sighs and leans over to put her head on her shoulder, Veronica immediately stroking her hair.

“He’s told me things that I don’t think he tells other people. I care so much about him, but I don’t think he’s in the right state of mind to jump into a relationship either,” Betty admits. Veronica makes a quiet sound, nodding her head slightly. “Maybe one day. Maybe now that I can accept my feelings I’ll be more open to it. I just won’t let myself get hurt.”

“It’s going to be okay, Betty. If it helps, I won’t push you anymore, okay?” Veronica says gently, hugging her close. “I’m going to go take a shower now, okay? And you should definitely get some rest, you’ve had a long day.”

Betty smiles to herself and gives her friend a tight squeeze before sitting back up, Veronica patting her knee before standing up from the couch. She saunters off to her bedroom as Betty settles in and turns on the tv, deciding to put on a movie to ease her mind. The movie barely even starts before her phone buzzes against her leg with a notification. She picks it up and sees it is from Instagram, and that she was tagged in a photo by someone named  _ jjonesphotographs. _

“Juggie,” Betty smiles to herself, opening up his page and clicking on the first photo. It’s one of her from today, in the flower field. She’s facing sideways, her hands up by her head, and her hair and dress blowing back with the wind. It doesn’t even look like her, it looks majestic and  _ professional. _

“Our very own Rebel Without A Cause has finally joined social media!” Veronica says, bursting from her room. Betty lets out a laugh and hits the “follow” button on his page, liking the photo. “I am so proud of him, he’s finally learning something from me. And that photo! Oh my gosh Betty you look incredible. I’m about to print that out and put it on flyers all around the city because everyone needs to see this.”

“Oh, stop it. You’re not printing out anything,” Betty rolls her eyes, but blushes nonetheless. Veronica smiles at her, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed, watching. Betty gives her a skeptical look, pausing her movie to look at her. “What? Why are you staring at me?”

“It’s nothing. Just that, a month ago you would’ve said something about how it’s not you but the way Jughead photographs you,” Veronica comments, leaning her head against the door frame. Betty’s blush deepens and she hides her face in a blanket to avoid Veronica’s stare. “I’m proud of you, is all. You may not have noticed, but I have. You’re happier, B, more confident in yourself, and that makes me so happy.”

She had noticed. Ever since she got closer with Jughead, she doesn’t even have time to think those bad thoughts that used to consume her life. He’s always texting her or hanging out with her, and every other time she’s thinking about him. She has been so happy, the crescent scars on her palms nearly faded to white. 

“I am happy, V. Really happy,” Betty says, smiling softly up at her. Veronica grins and walks towards the couch, bending over to hug Betty from behind and kiss her on the head, making a loud kissing noise. “Okay, that’s enough. Go shower!”

Veronica laughs and pats her head before going back to her room, leaving Betty smiling on the couch at her movie. She picks up her phone and goes to the messages between Jughead and her, clicking on the type box. Her thumb hovers over the keyboard for a moment, debating on what she wants to say. She finally types a simple “ _ thank you for indulging me,” _ and puts her phone away.

 

\----

 

Jughead wakes up to a mixture of emotions. First, he sees a text from Betty, a thank you text. That makes him smile, and as he’s typing his response he is interrupted by an incoming phone call that diminishes that smile. It’s his father, who he hasn’t heard from since the party when he drunk called him and ruined his entire evening. He doesn’t want to talk to him now, but knows his father will not stop calling if he doesn’t pick up, so he does.

“Dad,” is how he greets, his tone harsh. These phone calls are always the same— they start with his dad telling Jughead how much he loves him and his sister, and how he’s sorry and he’s really going to try this time. Every time Jughead starts to believe him until he asks for money, and then it all fades away.

“Jug, my boy. How’ve you been?” FP asks, and Jughead rolls his eyes.

“Cut the small talk, dad. How much do you want?” Jughead asks. It’s silent on the other end, and he almost thinks his dad hung up when he speaks again, his voice softer.

“I’m in rehab, Jughead—“ and Jughead was  _ not  _ expecting that. “After I last called you, I realized I was going to lose you if I didn’t do something about it. So I checked myself in.”

“Dad, I don’t know what to say,” Jughead says, his voice cracking slightly. He’s hit with a wave of emotion, sitting on the edge of his bed to brace himself.

`“You don’t have to say anything. I’m doing this for you, Jug. I already lost your mother and sister, I recognize that, but I can’t lose you too. You’re my son, I need you. And I understand if you don’t want to, but I would love for you to visit me,” he says. Jughead pauses for a moment, taking his words in. He’s still shocked and doesn’t really know how to react to his father actually getting better, because he’s not used to that.

“Yeah, of course Dad. I’ll come visit you,” he says. After that they make plans, FP giving him the details of where he is and when he can visit. He tells him he’ll be there today, and FP is so happy he starts crying on the phone. Jughead actually smiles while telling him to relax and that he’ll see him soon, and if Jughead cries a bit when he hangs up no one needs to know.

 

\----

 

The rehab center is smaller than he expected. There’s not much to it on the outside, and the inside definitely isn’t better. The lady at the front desk looks welcoming, though, and she smiles as Jughead walks up to her.

“Hi, how can I help you?” she asks, taking her attention off of her computer. 

“Um, I’m here to visit someone, FP Jones. Wait, sorry, it would probably be under Forsythe. Forsythe Jones,” Jughead says, leaning against the counter. The receptionist turns back to her computer, typing in what he presumes is the name.

“Are you related to Mr. Jones?” she asks, not looking away from the screen and still typing away.

“Uh, yeah, I’m his son,” he mutters. He shifts on his feet, getting uncomfortable by the  way she glances up at him. She smiles though, and brings out a clipboard to hand to him. 

“You can just sign in and Charles here will bring you to your dad. I believe he’s in group session right now, but it should be ending soon,” she explains. Jughead nods and signs his name with the date and time before following the nurse Charles. He looks around at his surroundings as they walk down a long hallway until they reach an empty waiting room.

“You can wait here. They’ll come out through that door right there when they’re done,” the nurse tells him, pointing to a door on the right. Jughead nods and sits down in a chair, pulling his hat as far down as it will go. He takes his phone out of his pocket to find a few notifications, some from instagram and the rest text messages from Archie and Betty. He had tol Archie where he was going, since he had to borrow his car, and he was incredibly supportive and even offered to tag along. Jughead rejected that, however, because this was something he needed to do on his own.

And he definitely did not tell Betty about this visit, because she would have gone into her protective mode and would not have left him alone. He will only tell her if everything goes well, which he is hoping it does.

“Jughead?” he hears, and is drawn from his phone to see his father standing in front of him. He’s shaved his beard since Jughead last saw him, and his entire face seems to be smiling.

“Dad, hi,” Jughead says, standing up from his chair. As soon as he does he’s pulled into a forceful hug, his dad pulling him tight to his chest. Jughead hugs him back just as hard, and has to bite his tongue to not be overwhelmed with emotion.

“I’m so glad you came. I know you said you would but I wasn’t sure if you’d follow through and I’m just-” FP starts to say, but is interrupted by a sob slipping from his lips. 

“I’m here dad, I’m here,” Jughead tells him, hugging him tight. He’s the one that finally pulls away, but keeps his father at an arm’s length to study him. FP wipes at his face and gives his son a weak smiles, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Let’s go for a walk, I’ll show you all the cool places,” he says. Jughead nods and follows him out of the waiting room and down the hall. They stop by his father’s room and the cafeteria, and then some other activity rooms before going outside into the courtyard. There are a few people around, and the two of them sit on a bench by a small garden, a few inches between them.

“Are you still taking pictures?” FP asks when there’s a lull in the conversation. Jughead can’t help the smirk that settles on his face, nodding his head and looking at the ground.

“Yeah I actually have an internship with a magazine that one of my professors helped me get. It’s a really great opportunity and I’ve had a lot of fun with it,” Jughead tells him.

“Yeah? That’s awesome to hear, Jug. You’ll have to show me one day,” his dad says, and it sounds hopeful. Jughead looks up at him, pausing before he nods. He doesn’t want to make any promises, because who knows what will happen in the future, but it’s nice to think about.

“How long do you think you’ll be in here?” Jughead asks, his fingers toying with the flannel that’s wrapped around his waist, nervous.

“About a month I think. At least that’s what they tell me,” FP says.

“And you’re getting a lot of help here?” Jughead asks, slipping into his protective mode. If his father is going to waste his money on getting help, it better be for the long run.

“I am. I go to group session every day and meet with my counselor every other day. And aside from that, they have students that come in and help out sometimes, who are also pretty helpful,” his father says, looking past him with a grin on his face. “Actually, there’s one pretty special student that I want you to meet.”

His father waves someone over with great enthusiasm. Jughead looks at him a little confused until he turns around to see the figure walking towards them. He jolts up out of disbelief, his father letting out a laugh behind him as the person gets closer.

“Toni?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me? Oh who am I kidding, I'll never stop making you guys hate me. But I loooooveeee you all so much and I couldn't do it without you!  
> Leave a comment, tell me your favorite and not so favorite part. I can handle constructive criticism! :)
> 
> Come talk to me on twitter @ totheheartsthatache
> 
> xx Dana


	13. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys don't hate me too much! I promise it gets better.  
> Enjoy!

Jughead gets back from visiting his father to find Archie lounging on the couch, flipping through channels on the tv. He looks like he is half asleep, still in his workout clothes, but sits up when Jughead walks in, turning the tv off.

“How was it?” he asks immediately, setting the remote down on the coffee table. Jughead tosses him his keys before sitting on the arm chair diagonal from him, putting his feet up and leaning back.

“It was good, really good. He seems healthier already, looks happy too,” he says, leaning his head back.

“That’s good right? It’s gonna last this time?” Archie asks, and that’s the same question that Jughead has been asking himself since he received the initial call. Will this rehab really help him get his dad back?

“It might, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. He says he’s doing it for me, and that’s not the first time he’s said that. But it is the first time he hasn’t added Jellybean or my mom in there, so maybe he’s finally accepted the fact that they’re not coming back,” he says, trying to mask the emotion in his voice. 

“Well, I hope it does, for your sake at least,” Archie comments. Jughead nods and lifts his head back up, sighing. His phone buzzes in his pocket and he pulls it out, finding a text from Toni, whom he had exchanged numbers with before he left.

“Do you remember my friend Toni? From when we were young?” he asks Archie, looking up from his phone. 

“Is that the girl who really liked to wear black? Like the girl version of you?” he asks, and Jughead actually laughs out loud at that, because she really is like the girl version of him.

“Yes, that is Toni. I saw her today, actually, because she works at the rehab center. I guess she’s going to school for social work so she’s there like three times a week to work with the patients, and my dad recognized her and they’ve really clicked. She might be one of the reasons he gets better,” Jughead tells him.

“Wow, that’s really awesome. When was the last time you saw her?” Archie asks.

“It was definitely before my mom left, maybe when we were eleven. She moved to the Southside and we never crossed paths after that,” Jughead explains. He opens the text from Toni, which just says that she was glad to see him and that they need to meet up for coffee sometime. He responds with a quick affirmation and puts his phone away, saving the other notifications for later. “We’re going to meet a catch up sometime soon, and you’re invited too.”

“Yeah, just let me know I guess. Sounds like it could be fun,” Archie comments, giving a small smile. He picks up the remote again and turns the tv back on, settling back, signaling the end of the conversation, which Jughead is more than happy to go along with.

 

\----

 

Jughead gets featured on his internship’s Instagram page. His most recent shoot with Betty is posted for thousands to see, meaning strangers have seen Betty’s face. Jughead had mentioned that his boss had taken an interest in her, but she still cannot fathom the thought of being a model.

Veronica, of course, thinks otherwise. She tells Betty everyday how lucky she is to be noticed and how she’d be a fool to pass up any offer to further her career in the fashion industry. And now is one of those times.

“I’m not you, V. I don’t think I can do that,” Betty tells her. She just now started accepting that Jughead picked her out of every other girl to model, she’s not ready to accept becoming an actual professional.

“You can if you believe in yourself,” Veronica counters, to which Betty just responds with an ‘are you serious’ kind of look. Veronica sighs, putting down her fashion magazine and giving Betty a look. “Fine, do what you want to do. Just know I strongly disagree.”

With that, she gets up and walks off to her room. Betty shrugs it off, opening up a text from Jughead. She had congratulated him on the feature, saying how proud she was of him. He thanks her, of course, especially for being his ‘muse’. The thought of being his muse creates a flutter inside her chest, which she tries to push down and not think about at this moment, made easy by the buzz of another text from Jughead.

 

**I know you work a lot this week, but do you think you can come over one night? Maybe friday? I have a surprise for you**

 

A surprise? Betty feels like she should be scared, because Jughead is not the type for surprises. She tells him that she will be there anyways, a smile on her face as she says it. 

“Oh my gosh, Betty, get yourself together,” she mutters to herself, but it is hopeless. She is so gone for Jughead Jones that she can’t stop smiling over the thought of hanging out with him. She needs help.

 

\----

 

Ever since he and Betty had become closer friends, he’d find himself visiting the coffee shop that she works at quite often. At first he used it as an excuse to see her, but then he began going when she wasn’t even working just because he liked the coffee and atmosphere of it. Which is why he told Toni to meet him here instead of another place, on the only day that Betty has off.

Except when he walks inside, early for once, he sees Betty helping a customer at the counter. She looks up when the bell on the door dings, and the smile on her face when she sees him is blinding. He feels lighter, all of a sudden, and he walks up to the counter as the other customer walks away.

“I thought you didn’t work today?” he comments as he reaches the counter, resting his hands stop it. 

“So you’re telling me you don’t just come here to visit me?” she asks, pouting out her bottom lip. He shrugs, flashing her an innocent smile that makes her laugh. “My coworker, Kevin, has the flu and asked me to cover his shift.”

“Sounds pretty selfish to ask you on your only day off,” Jughead says. Betty rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him.

“Only you would say that, because you have no positive bone in your body,” she retorts, and Jughead really can’t argue with that. “Are you getting your usual?”

“I am, but for here this time. I’m actually meeting a friend, so I had to suggest only the best coffee shop in the state,” he smiles. Betty rolls her eyes but smiles too, punching in his order. He hands her the money, leaving enough for a tip, and is about to say something when the bell dings again, a voice sounding right after.

“Forsythe Jones, as I live and breathe,” he hears, and doesn’t hold back his groan. Betty gives him a confused look as she looks over his shoulder, and he sighs before turning around to face his childhood friend.

“Antonia, you know I don’t go by that name,” he says, walking up to her. She uncrosses her arms and opens them up for a hug, but glaring at him at the same time.

“And you know that’s not even my name. Now come here and hug me for all the time we’ve been apart,” Toni says. He steps into her embrace, hugging her tight for a good amount of time. He only pulls away when he remembers Betty, and how badly he wants them to meet.

“There’s someone I want you to meet. Betty, this is-” he starts, turning around, but stops when he sees another worker at the counter. He can’t see her anywhere, so he walks up to the register to ask. “Hey, where did Betty go?”

“Oh, she took her break in back. And here’s your coffee, by the way,” the worker smiles at him, pushing the mug across the counter. He quietly thanks her and picks up the mug, turning back around to face Toni.

“Do you want anything? I’ll treat,” he tells her, pulling out his wallet.

“I can pay for myself, thank you very much. Keep your cash, Jones,” Toni says with a smirk, patting his shoulder and stepping up to the register to place her order. Jughead laughs lowly and walks over to his usual table, placing his mug on the table and sitting down. He tries not to think about how strange it was that Betty chose to take her break at that moment, not wanting to overthink it. Instead, he focuses on Toni sitting down across from him, a wide smile on her face. Her coffee is brought to her not soon after, black like Jughead’s, and she turns to him, taking the mug in her hands. “So. Tell me everything I missed the past almost-ten years.”

“I feel like you already know everything, since you’re best friends with my dad and all,” Jughead says, sipping his coffee. Toni rolls her eyes, moving her long hair behind her shoulder and leaning forward, elbows on the table.

“Your dad doesn’t know everything, Jughead. I want to know the dirty bits, like when your voice finally dropped, any girlfriends you’ve had-” she pauses when Jughead scoffs, visibly squirming in his seat. “-or boyfriends? No judgement here,” Toni adds, sipping her coffee. Jughead looks up at her, one eyebrow raises and shakes his head once.

“It’s girlfriend, first of all, and second, I have been extremely single my whole life. So no, no dirty bits for you,” Jughead tells her, much to her dismay.

“Oh, come on! You have to give me something,” Toni whines. Jughead bites his lip and glances behind the counter, still not seeing any sign of Betty. Sighing, he leans closer, lowering his voice so there’s no unwanted listeners.

“There is a girl. A recent one,” he mutters. Toni grins and leans forwards, signaling him to go on, so he does. “She’s my model for that internship I mentioned, and I think I fell in love with her when I first saw her picture. And then I met her and she’s actually the greatest person ever. She puts up with me, and you know how tiring that can be. She’s my best friend and sometimes I still can’t believe I met her.”

He takes a large breath of air when he finishes talking, not realizing he’d held it in the whole time. Toni is staring at him, a small smirk on her lips, her finger swirling around the rim of her mug.

“Jughead Jones, you are in love. Does she know?” Toni asks, and Jughead’s heart falls again. He frowns and shakes his head, looking down at his coffee. “Well that’s stupid.”

“I want to tell her, I just don’t know how. She’s way out of my league, Toni. She’s way better than me and deserves better and...she works here, actually. And she was here when I came in and I wanted to introduce you two but then she disappeared,” he says, looking back towards the counter. Still no sign of her.

“Another time, then. But seriously, you have to stop it with that sad loner crap. You’re a total catch, Jones, and she’d be lucky to date you,” she says, sipping her coffee casually.

“Are you hitting on me, Miss Topaz?” Jughead jokes, smirking at her. Toni levels him with a look before laughing out loud.

“Sorry, but you’re not exactly my type,” she says. Jughead feigns offence, scoffing and everything, and Toni laughs again. “I’m more into girls.”

Out of all things she could have said, that was the last thing Jughead was suspecting. Then again, he really shouldn’t be surprised, since she never seemed interested in what the guys did anyways. 

“Okay. So...any girlfriends for you then?” Jughead asks, smirking at her. Toni laughs and kicks him under the table, a blush appearing on her face. 

“You’re ridiculous. But if you must know-” she starts to say, but they’re interrupted by another coffee being placed down in front of Jughead, Betty standing over their table with a smile on her face.

“I figured I’d fill you up, I know you drink fast,” Betty tells him. He smiles up at her, mouths a thank you, but his jolted out of his trance by the sound of Toni clearing her voice. He turns to her, seeing the raised eyebrow and extremely annoyed look on her face.

“Um, Toni, this is Betty. Betty, this is my friend Toni. We grew up together,” Jughead says, glancing between the two. They both seem to pause for a bit, studying each other before Betty extends her hand for a handshake.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Betty says enthusiastically, her hand still extended. Toni glances at it before hesitantly grabbing it, the two shaking hands.

“Nice to meet you too,” Toni says, smiling at her. Jughead watches the two of them closely, and is not fooled by either of them. They keep it up though, letting go of each other with smiles still on their faces.

“Would you like a refill as well? I figured I would ask instead of assuming,” Betty says, motioning towards her near-empty cup.

“Well you know what they say, when you assume you make an ass out of you and me,” Toni tries to joke, but is met with complete silence from both of them, Betty’s smile faltering slightly. “But no thanks, I’m good. I actually better get going, I have someone waiting for me. Jughead, it was nice to see you, keep in touch. Betty, great meeting you.”

And with a pointed look towards Jughead, she’s swiftly getting up from the table and out of the coffee shop. Jughead watches her leave through the window, but his attention is averted when Betty starts to leave. He quickly reaches out and grabs her hand, causing her to turn around with a blank stare at him.

“Are you off? You’re not wearing an apron,” Jughead points out. Betty looks down at herself, her hand still in Jughead’s, and nods slightly.

“My shift ended right before I came over. Just wanted to see you before I left,” Betty says, shrugging. Jughead runs his finger lightly along her knuckles before letting go of her hand and motioning towards the empty chair in front of him.

“Wanna sit with me for a bit? While I finish this coffee that you so graciously gifted me,” Jughead says, raising his eyebrows and smiling lightly. Betty bites her lip, glancing at the chair before looking back at his coffee.

“I am kind of tired, so I should get home. And you can throw that out if you want, I won’t be upset,” she tells him, pointing at the coffee he is sipping. Jughead tries not to show his disappointment, shrugging to seem nonchalant.

“Wouldn’t want to waste a perfect coffee. I could walk you home if you want, though,” he adds, setting the mug down and getting ready to stand up when Betty stops him with a waving hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s out of your way. But I will definitely see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll come by after work,” Betty tells him, smiling softly. Jughead nods, because he can accept that instead of nothing.

“Right, for my surprise. You can bring Veronica too, Archie has been a bit sulky lately,” he says. Veronica told Archie she was trying a new ‘spiritual cleanse’, which means no strenuous activities. Which basically means Archie has not gotten laid for over a week. 

“I’ll let her know. Bye Juggie,” Betty says, and in a flash she’s grabbing her purse from behind the counter and walking out the door, sending a wave in Jughead’s direction. He sighs and takes a huge gulp of his coffee before dumping it out in the trash and leaving as well. Betty’s demeanor after Toni left put an unsettling feeling in Jughead’s stomach, which is why he didn’t want Betty to be alone. He’s still scared for her, even though she seems to be better nowadays. He’s always checking for signs-- making sure she’s eating, noticing if her smile is fake or not. When he was holding her hand, he was checking for the scars and thankfully found none, so in a way she must be getting better. He just hopes that it lasts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It will get better real soon, I promise. Don't hate me.   
> As always, come and chat with me on tumblr (totheheartsthatache), maybe I will give away some secrets pertaining to the next chapter!!   
> I'd love to hear what you guys think so please comment your feedback   
> Much love.  
> xx Dana


	14. The Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my worst written chapter yet, and I meant to get it out way earlier, but it's here either way! Hope you enjoy (I think you will)

Betty is tired. She got to work at 7:30 this morning, and didn’t even get a break until her shift ended at 3:30. All she wants to do is go home and nap, but she promised Jughead that she would go over there after work. She sighs and makes her way towards his apartment building, which is only a few blocks away thankfully. When she reaches it, she presses the button for his apartment number and waits a few seconds until the buzzer goes off, unlocking the door. She makes her way up the stairs, thankful he’s only on the third floor, and texts Veronica that she’s here and should take the car here so they don’t have to walk back home. 

Before she knocks on the door, she smooths down her shirt and takes her hair out of its bun, running her fingers through it. She lets out a deep breath before knocking on the door, hearing the “come in” yelled from the other side. She opens the door and is met with an unpleasant sight-- Toni sitting on the couch next to Jughead, laughing with him and Archie about something. 

“Hey Betty! It’s been a while,” Archie comments when she walks in, grinning at her. She smiles and closes the door behind her, hanging her purse up on a hook next to it.

“Yeah, my schedule has been insane, I haven’t had a chance to see anyone. Veronica’s on her way, also, I came straight from work,” Betty tells him. She glances at Toni before sitting in the armchair beside Archie, pointedly avoiding Jughead’s stare. 

“It was your long day, right?” Jughead asks. Betty just nods, still avoiding making eye contact with him. She can feel Toni’s stare and feels a little self conscious, shrinking into herself. “You’re probably exhausted. We could’ve rescheduled, you know.”

“No, it’s fine Jug. I actually feel better now that I’m sitting down,” Betty amends, finally meeting his eyes. He looks concerned, his fingers tapping on his knee. He’s about to say something when Toni speaks up, clapping her hands against her thighs. 

“Jones, we’ve been sitting here for hours doing nothing. Entertain me with something,” she says, poking him in the cheek. Jughead averts his eyes and flinches away from her with a laugh, Betty’s back stiffening.

“You’re asking the wrong guy, I’m not fun,” he answers, turning his head away from her. She pouts out her bottom lip and then, with a small smirk forming on her lips, sets herself on Jughead’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“But I always have fun with you,” she says lowly, almost purring. Archie’s head snaps up at the same moment Betty stands up from her chair.

“I’m going to get a glass of water,” she mutters to Archie, and all but runs into the kitchen. She feels angry, the image of Toni on Jughead’s lap stuck on repeat in her mind. She leans over the kitchen sink and turns on the faucet, letting the water run as she takes a few deep breaths. After a few moment she hears someone walk in, so she quickly grabs a glass from the dish rack and fills it halfway with water. She takes a sip before turning around, only to be met with the sight of Toni leaning against the fridge, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

“You ran out so quick I almost didn’t see you,” Toni says. Betty’s free hand clenches into a fist, but she tries to keep her composure, gently setting her glass down.

“I’ve had a long day, needed to wake up. Plus, you didn’t seem to mind my absence,” Betty remarks, dragging her gaze back to look at Toni. She’s still smirking at her, but stands up straight and makes her way over to Betty. 

“Is that...jealousy?” Toni asks in a taunting voice. She steps into Betty’s space and leans against the counter next to her, which makes Betty want to shrink away. She doesn’t though, instead stands her ground and levels her with a look that she hopes is intimidating.

“It’s clear we don’t like each other, so why don’t we be outright and say it, Toni,” Betty says. She turns to face Toni, their fronts aligned, and Betty can’t help but feel a sense of pride at the way she towers over her. Toni doesn’t seem phased, however, looking up at her with a fake smile.

“Props to you for your honesty,” Toni says. She holds eye contact with Betty, neither of them willing to back down until she smiles, taking a step back. “I think you should tell him.”

“Excuse me?” Betty asks, thrown off by the statement.

“I know you’re not dumb, Betty. And you’ve gotten my approval,” Toni tells her, walking away from Betty. She’s about to walk out of the kitchen when Betty stops her, still clearly confused.

“What are you talking about?” she asks, stepping away from the counter. Toni turns back around, rolling her eyes and sighing.

“Listen, you’re clearly gone for Jughead, and I think you should tell him,” she says with a shrug.

“But, you and him…” Betty starts, confusion clouding her face. It worsens when Toni laughs out loud, shaking her head.

“You’re so naive, that’s so cute,” Toni laughs. “If I didn’t already have a girlfriend, I’d definitely try to win you over.”

And with that, she’s walking out of the kitchen, leaving a confused and slightly annoyed Betty in her wake. Betty stays in the kitchen for another few minutes before making her way back out by everyone else. Toni seems to have left, instead being replaced by Veronica who is already cuddled up to Archie. Jughead is on the couch alone, a game controller in his hands. 

“Did Toni leave?” Betty asks. They all turn their heads to look at her, startled by her sudden appearance.

“Yeah. She came back from the kitchen saying ‘I miss Cheryl’ and walked out, who I am assuming is her girlfriend,” Jughead says, pausing his game and turning back to her. “What were you guys doing in there that you were gone for so long?”

“Oh. We were just...talking. Getting to know each other,” Betty says, walking over to the couch to sit next to him. Jughead looks at her strangely, but she ignores it, turning to Veronica and Archie instead. “V, how is your cleanse coming along?”

“Really great. I’ve never felt more amazing, so I think I’ll keep it up,” Veronica says, leaning her head on Archie’s chest. Archie groans and throws his head back against the chair, Veronica shushing him in response. Jughead snickers from beside her, resuming his game. Betty turns away from the two lovebirds to look at him, watching as he focuses on the game. She thinks about what Toni said to her, considers taking him to someplace quiet to tell him the truth, like Veronica would want. If only she had the confidence to do that.

“Can I play?” she asks him. He whips his head to look at her, his player getting killed in the game as he does.

“Dammit! Um, yeah, sure. Let me get the other controller, I can teach you as we go,” Jughead says, getting up from the couch and grabbing the second controller from the tv stand. He sits back down by Betty, handing her the remote as he does. “So it’s pretty difficult at first, but I’ll walk you through it.”

“We just have to kill everything in sight, basically?” Betty asks, turning the remote over in her hands.

“Yeah, we’ll work as a team to do that. It’s really not that hard, press this button to hit or shoot, this to move, and that’s really all you need,” Jughead explains. Betty nods, running her fingers over the buttons as he starts the game. Right away, she’s off, killing everything she needs to before Jughead even has a chance to. She even catches the attention of Archie and Veronica, both staring at the game until they finish the level, looking at her dumbstruck. She looks from them to Jughead’s own surprised face, his mouth ajar.

“Would you believe me if I tell you that was beginner’s luck?” Betty asks with a small smile. In truth, she’s played a lot of video games with her dad, but they don’t need to know that. Jughead shakes his head and turns the game off, throwing his remote to the side.

“Remind me to never play against you in anything,” he comments. Betty giggles as Archie and Veronica stand up, Veronica dragging him away from the living room and towards his bedroom.

“We’re gonna have a chat. Don’t get too crazy out here,” she says, throwing a wink over her shoulder. Betty feels her face heat up as the door slams behind them, leaving a weird silence behind. Betty and Jughead sit there for a moment, until Betty remembers something.

“Didn’t you have a surprise for me?” she asks. His head shoots up to look at her, his face brighter.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” he says, angling his torso so he can face her. “So my boss at the magazine came up to me the other day and said she wanted to do a feature on me, as an upcoming photographer to look out for.”

“Jug, that’s so cool!” Betty exclaims, her hand falling onto Jughead’s knee. He smiles bashfully, adjusting the hat on his head.

“Yeah, I wasn’t really expecting it. And she also wants you to be featured in some way, because she says you have ‘ _ progressed in front of her own eyes _ ’ and might be a little bit obsessed with you. She wants a full feature, but if you don’t want that I completely understand,” he tells her. She stares at him, mouth slightly agape, completely shocked.

“Jug, that’s...why would she want to feature me?” she asks.

“Because of your progress. She says you have real potential to be big in the fashion world,” Jughead states with a shrug. Betty ponders his words, considering the offer she’s given.

“I don’t want to do it. You’re the one that should be featured, not me. You’ve worked so hard all your life and you deserve an entire magazine written about you,” Betty tells him, a genuine smile on her lips. Jughead looks up at her through his fallen piece of hair, an appreciative smile spreading across his entire face. 

“Thanks, Betts. It means a lot,” he tells her, placing his hand atop hers. There is a moment where neither of them move, but they both realize how close they suddenly are. The air feels thick, and Betty can feel the words in her throat, but they get interrupted by Archie’s bedroom door opening, Veronica emerging. She has a few hairs of place, but everything else seems to be intact as she gives them a weird look.

“Did I interrupt something?” she asks, arching her eyebrow. Jughead doesn’t make a move to take his hand off of hers, so Betty doesn’t try to either, slightly shifting her body to look at Veronica. 

“No, we were just talking about Juggie’s internship,” she says. Veronica stares at her for a beat longer, then nods and walks into the kitchen. Betty turns back at Jughead, who she notices has taken his hat off, and opens her mouth to speak when Veronica pops her head back in the doorway, calling out Betty’s name. When she turns around, Veronica is grinning wildly at her.

“Just so you know, I’m sleeping here tonight. So maybe Jughead can be the great gentleman he is and walk you home in place of me,” she says, winking at Jughead.

“What happened to your cleanse?” Betty asks, slipping her hand out from underneath his. 

“Consider it a cheat day,” Veronica says, and then she disappears again. Betty looks back at Jughead, who has a look of disgust on his face.

“Do those two ever stop?” he asks, glancing towards the closed bedroom door.

“They’d go all day if they could,” she adds, shuddering at the thought. Silence falls over them, and when they hear the distinct sound of a giggle, Jughead jumps up.

“I’ll walk you home now,” he says quickly. She stands up to follow him, practically running out of the door to avoid the moans sounding from the bedroom.

The door closes with a slam, Jughead still looking disgusted. Betty can’t help but laugh at the entire situation, even as Jughead glares at her, shaking his head. “I need to find a new roommate.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, let them live,” she tells him. He doesn’t seem to be amused, but shrugs anyways, walking towards the stairs. They walk down and out of the building, Betty giving him a weird look when he holds the front door open for her.

“I’m being a  _ gentleman _ ,” he grins. Betty rolls her eyes and walks through the doorway and down the stairs, Jughead catching up to her once she reaches the bottom. They walk side by side down the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, their hands brushing against each other at one point. Betty looks up at him, but he’s still looking forward as if he didn’t notice. She glances down at their hands, then back up at his calm face, watching as he moves his hair out of his eyes.

“Where’s your hat?” she asks. He looks at her, patting the top of his head as if oblivious to the fact that it was missing.

“It’s too warm out for it,” he shrugs, looking forward again. Betty knows that’s not the actual reason, because she has seen him with that hat on some of the hottest days of the summer. She doesn’t press the subject, though, because they finally reach her apartment building.

“Do you want to come up for a drink? In celebration? We could watch a movie or something, since I’m sure you don’t want to go back to your apartment,” she asks, turning to him. He looks troubled for a moment, as if he doesn’t know if he should or not. Betty is reminded of Veronica’s party, then, and the unfortunate ending to night, regretting even asking. “Nevermind, it’s a silly suggestion.”

“No, no! I’d love to celebrate with you, I really would,” he finally says. Betty smiles with relief, taking her keys out of her purse and leading him up to her apartment. He’s quiet as she leads him inside and into the kitchen. Veronica keeps the cabinets fairly stocked, so she pulls out a few different bottles and sets them on the counter.

“Pick your poison,” she tells him. He looks over the three bottles, making a humming noise as he reads the labels of each one. He picks up the white moscato last, holding it out to her.

“The only wine you’ll ever find me drinking,” he says, a crooked smile on his lips. 

“Great choice,” she says, getting the wine glasses out of the cupboard. “Take it out to the patio, we can watch the sunset.”

“Betty Cooper, are you trying to  _ romance _ me?” he smirks, taking the glasses from her and holding them in one hand. 

“Yes of course. Now go, I’ll be right out,” she tells him. He obeys without a word, Betty letting out a large exhale of breath as soon as he’s out of sight. She can’t get Toni’s words out of her head, and it’s making her see things in a different light. If Jughead truly does have feelings for her, will something happen tonight? She thinks she’s being as obvious as she can be without saying the words out loud. Liquid courage might be what they both need.

Grabbing a blanket from the back of the sofa, she makes her way out into the patio to find Jughead making himself at home. He’s pushed two of the lounge chairs together, the wine and glasses on a table next to one. He looks up at her as she opens the door, a pillow in his hands.

“Is this okay?” he asks hesitantly, setting the pillow down on the chair.

“It’s perfect,” Betty answers, and that warm feeling creeps up her spine when he smiles at her. 

They settle down on the chairs, Jughead handing her a glass of wine and leaning back on his own chair. Betty watches as he takes a cautious sip, making eye contact with her while he does. 

“Do you think we can finish off this bottle?” he asks when he swallows his sip.

“Easily,” she answers, taking a sip. “And that’s as far as we’ll go, because wine drunk is not a good look on me.”

“A lot of experience?” he asks.

“Not a lot. Veronica once declared we celebrate Wine Wednesday last year, and we each had about a bottle each. Let’s just say it got a little fuzzy and I had the worst hangover the next day,” she laughs, sipping from her glass.

“Wow, I can’t believe you are such a party girl,” he jokes. Betty rolls her eyes in response, swirling the wine in her glass.

“Veronica may be a bad influence sometimes, but I am in no way a party girl,” she settles.

“You guys were random roommates, right?” he asks, earning a nod as an answer. “Do you ever think about what things would be like if you hadn’t been paired with her?”

“My life wouldn’t be as exciting, that’s for sure,” she smiles softly. She had thought about it quite a few times, and had come to the conclusion that she never wanted to go back in time and change things. 

“You guys are really great friends. You both care so much about each other,” Jughead comments. Betty nods, because it’s true. Veronica has kept her grounded so many times in the short time that they’ve known each other, even when she doesn’t know it.

“She keeps me sane, most of the time,” she says. She realizes that this conversation has gotten a lot more serious than planned, and for once she doesn’t feel like she has to stop it. Jughead looks at her like he’s studying her, but she doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Even when he takes one of her hands in his, running his thumb over her palm gently. She knows that he’s noticed it before, but he was smart to not comment on it before. Betty doesn’t like talking about that, especially with someone she hasn’t known for that long. But Jughead deserves to know. “I was doing okay, for a while. But a few days ago it happened again, not as bad though.”

“Why? Why does it happen?” he asks quietly, looking up at her with earnest eyes.

“I get anxious. Like a lot. And I don’t want to be, so I try to calm myself down, and this seems to be the only thing that works sometimes. And it doesn’t happen all the time, just in times when I’m really nervous about something. Or upset,” she tells him, letting out a breath of air she didn’t know she was holding.

“What made you upset this time?” he asks, running his thumb over the small crescents on her palm. She hesitates, because she can’t exactly say the sight of him and Toni made her upset. Instead, she smiles softly at him, bringing her glass up to her lips.

“That’s not important. I’m happy now,” she says, and she’s not lying. He smiles as she sips her wine, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go and leaning back again.

“I’m glad. I don’t like when you’re sad,” he says, finishing his glass of wine and grabbing the bottle. “Some more?”

Betty finishes the last sip and nods, holding her glass out to him. He refills hers first before his own, and they both settle back in their chairs. The sun is starting to set, so Betty grabs the blanket to drape over her legs. She looks back to see Jughead staring at her, and tilts her head in confusion.

“Sorry, I just- can I borrow your phone? Mine sucks and the lighting is just right,” he says. She grabs her phone from the table beside her, handing it to him.

“I don’t think I look good enough for a photoshoot right now,” she says, taking a quick sip of her wine.

“Not a photoshoot, just a prime photo opportunity. And you look perfect,” he tells her, opening up the camera and holding it up. Betty tries to hide her blush by glancing away and taking another sip of her wine. “Just hold your glass and look that way.”

He points in the direction he wants her to face, and is glad only half of her face will be seen. She’s starting to feel the wine hitting her, her head a bit lighter and she’s sure her face is getting red. Her lips quirk up in a smile just when he snaps the picture, and then a few more right after. She turns to him with a smile, and he angles the phone towards her so she can see the pictures. The lighting  _ is  _ perfect, glowing around her figure like she is an angel or something.

“Are you going to post this?” she asks him. He takes the phone back and sends the photos to himself, shrugging.

“Maybe. Is that okay?” he asks as he hands the phone to her. She nods and finishes her glass of wine, causing him to smirk at her. “Another one?”

“Only if you have one too. I’m not going to be the one responsible for finishing the bottle,” she says. He laughs and pours them both another glass. She talks to him about a book she finally finished as he edits the pictures on his phone. He eventually finishes, putting his phone to the side and wordlessly refilling her glass. She feels warm inside, and happier than she has felt in a while, and it’s not just the wine talking. 

They finish the bottle as the sun goes down and the air gets colder. Betty covers more of herself with the blanket, unintentionally shifting closer to Jughead at the same time. He takes notice of it, looking down at her struggling with the blanket.

“If you’re cold we can go inside,” he says.

“No, I want to stay out here. I’ll be fine,” she answers, finally getting the blanket to completely cover her legs.

“Here, come here,” he says, and she looks up to see his arm open for her. She smiles softly and leans into his side, his arm draping around her shoulders. She adjusts the blanket so it is covering both of them, and then settles back happily. “Better?”

“You’re like the sun,” she mutters, taking another sip of her wine. She can feel the laugh reverberate through his body. “How are you so warm?”

“I’m not sure, I’ve only been described as ‘cold’,” Jughead answers, tightening his arm around her and rubbing her shoulder.

“You’re not cold. You’re the sweetest,” Betty says, jokingly pinching his chin. He laughs again, snatching her hand and moving it away from his face.

“Only for you,” he says, his voice quieter. Betty can almost feel the heaviness to his words, but doesn’t say anything about it. She instead rests her head on his chest, letting him gently pet her hair and talk about nonsense. She feels so at ease, so at home, like she could really get used to this happening all the time.

She loves Jughead Jones, and she’s not afraid to admit it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy? I am.   
> More is yet to come. Good things? Yes. Bad things? Maybe so.   
> Come talk to me on tumblr (totheheartsthatache) for I am very lonely and love to hear what you guys have to say! 
> 
> Much love and Happy Holidays   
> xx Dana


	15. The Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I go, updating with a super short filler. End the year right!   
> Come talk to me on tumblr (totheheartsthatache) and ask me questions about the fic! I'd love to hear from you guys :)  
> Enjoy the chapter!

Jughead spent the night.

They eventually moved inside from the patio, Betty still a bit tipsy. She had sent a quick text to Veronica, asking how she was doing, but only got a winky face in response. 

“We can watch a movie,” Betty suggested. Jughead agreed, and they shared their blanket on the couch while watching Zodiac, leaning close together. 

They ended up falling asleep before the movie ended, and that is how they wake up in the morning; both of them asleep on the couch with Jughead’s arms wrapped around Betty. They wake up at the same time because Betty’s phone starts ringing with a phone call, causing her to swear quietly to herself. Jughead watches as she picks up her phone but puts it back down right away, ignoring the phone call. Her movements are small so as not to disturb him, but he moves his arm from around her anyways. She glances back at him, a small smile on her face as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning, Juggie. Sorry I woke you,” she says.

“No worries. What time is it though?” he asks, feeling around for his phone.

“It’s just past nine,” she tells him. He finds his phone in his back pocket and pulls it out, seeing a few text messages from his dad and Toni, but nothing too important.

“I’m going to have to call my boss today and talk to her about the article. Do you work?” he asks, putting his phone back in his pocket.

“No, thankfully. Finally have the day off,” she answers, turning over to face him. Their faces are close, extremely close, and Jughead has been wanting to kiss her the entire time he has been here, but it’s not the time.

It especially is not the time when her phone rings yet again, causing her to groan and sit up from her comfort. She picks up the ringing phone and frowns at the screen, putting it down yet again.

“It’s my mom, but I’ll call her back later. It’s too early to deal with her,” she says with a sigh. Jughead sits up finally, his back cracking as he does, eliciting a grunt from him.

“Next time let’s move off the couch before we fall asleep,” he mutters, twisting his neck around. Betty just laughs lightly, standing up from the couch and turning the television off. Jughead stands up after her, adjusting the pillow they were laying on and turning towards her. 

“Are you heading out?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’ve got a few things to do today. And I’m sure Archie and Veronica are done by now,” he says, though he wouldn’t doubt them. “Thanks for saving me from a night of terror.”

“Of course, anytime. Thanks for not making me drink a whole bottle of wine by myself,” she responds, walking towards the door. Jughead follows after, fixing his probably messy hair so he can look somewhat presentable in public.

“We’ll talk later. I have another photoshoot idea if you’re willing,” he says as she opens the door for him.

“Always am,” she smiles, leaning against the open door. He nods and steps out, turning back to wave goodbye.

“See ya, Betts,” he says, and then leaves. He doesn’t turn back as he walks down the stairs, so he doesn’t see the way Betty watches after him, a sad smile on her face until he disappears from her sight.

 

\----

 

By the time he gets back to his apartment, he has scheduled a meeting with his boss about the article, and has heard about Toni’s night with Cheryl-- which he really didn’t need to know. He walks in through the door and hangs his keys up on the hook, sending Toni and simple ‘TMI’ in the process.

“Arch?” he calls out, looking around the empty living room for his roommate.

“Kitchen!” he hears. He follows the voice to the kitchen, finding Archie standing over the stove cooking something while Veronica sits at the table. Archie looks at him when he walks in, grinning. “Hey man.”

“What’s going on in here?” Jughead asks, skeptical. He glances at the stove where Archie seems to be cooking pancakes, then at Veronica who is sipping a cup of coffee and almost glaring at him.

“I’m cooking you breakfast. Consider it a celebration,” Archie says, flipping a pancake. Jughead makes his way over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a cup and turning around to lean against the counter.

“A celebration for what?” he asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

“For finally getting laid,” Archie answers, causing Jughead to choke on his coffee. Archie looks concerned, reaching out to help him as Jughead swallows down his coffee and coughs.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jughead asks incredulously. He glances at Veronica who is paging through a magazine, seemingly ignoring the entire ordeal.

“You didn’t come home last night, and you left with Betty. You never sleep over, and I know there’s been a weird sexual tension between you two. Ronnie and I discussed it, we know and we’re happy for you,” Archie says, turning back to his pancakes. Jughead shakes his head profusely, clearing his throat and walking towards the table.

“No, nothing happened. We hung out, we fell asleep, that’s it,” he tells them, sitting down across from Veronica. She looks up and holds her hand out to Archie, a wide grin spreading across her face.

“Pay up,” she says, throwing a wink at Jughead which only deepens his confusion. Archie groans and puts a five dollar bill in her hand, and Jughead realizes what he’s witnessing.

“You bet on whether or not me and Betty would get together?” he asks, feeling a small bubble of anger rise up his chest.

“Yes, and clearly I shouldn’t have such faith in you pulling through,” Archie mutters, putting the plate of pancakes on the table and dropping down in the chair next to Veronica.

“Archie was dead set on you finally working up the nerve to tell her, but I imagine you having this grand plan to do it instead,” she says, running her fingers through her boyfriend’s hair.

“I want to tell her, and I will soon,” Jughead tells them. He’s not afraid of it anymore, it just hasn’t been the right time.

“If you need help, we’ve got you Jug,” Archie tells him, and Jughead smiles gratefully. They talk over the pancakes Archie made, until Veronica finally goes home. Jughead helps Archie clear the table and starts washing the dishes while he dries, like they normally do.

“So, you know how you’re going to do it?” Archie asks as he dries a spatula.

“Yeah, kind of. Maybe,” Jughead answers, scrubbing the pan. He wants her to know how much he cares for her before he says anything, and he has the perfect way of doing that. Archie pats him on the back before walking off to hopefully shower, leaving Jughead with his mind running over ideas. It needs to be perfect. It  _ will  _ be perfect. 

 

\----

 

After Jughead leaves, Betty takes a long hot shower, washing away all the stress from her week. She takes her time getting ready for the day, and is making coffee when Veronica comes home, saying a quick hello before she goes straight to her bedroom. Betty doesn’t take offense to it, assuming she is just tired. She takes her coffee to the living room where she left her phone, picking it up and sitting down on the couch. The first notification she sees is numerous missed phone calls from her mom, something she almost forgot about. She’s about to call her back when she notices a notification from Instagram, that Jughead tagged her in a photo. Smiling to herself, she clicks on the notification, opening up to the photo he took of her last night. It looks better than she remembers, but the caption leaves her speechless. 

 

_ “That was her magic, she could see the sunset, even on those darkest days”  _

_ Atticus  _

 

She stares at the caption with the photo, feeling like a hand is grasping at her heart. She comments with a yellow heart and turns around when she hears Veronica come out.

“That picture is beautiful,” she comments, walking over and sitting down on the couch with her. Betty smiles and nods bashfully, cradling her mug in her hands.

“How was last night?” Betty asks, trying to diverge the topic of conversation. Veronica gives her a pointed look, obviously aware of what she’s doing but continuing anyway.

“Amazing, as usual. How was your night with Donnie Darko?” she asks in return. Betty lets out a laugh, opening her mouth to answer but she is interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Confused, she glances at the door and then back at Veronica, who is looking at her with an equally confused look.

“You’re not expecting anyone?” Betty asks, but Veronica shakes her head. Putting her coffee mug on the table, Betty stands up and makes her way to the door. She checks the peephole first before swinging the door open, eyes wide at the person standing in front of her.

“Mom?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you hate me!!  
> Love you guys though. Happy New Year!
> 
> xx Dana


	16. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr (totheheartsthatache) and let me know what you think!
> 
> Enjoy!

_ “Mom?” _

It has been months since Betty has seen her mother. She never likes visiting home because the two of them just fight the entire time, and her parents never bother making the drive up to school. She’s not that hurt by it, and has actually gotten pretty used to not seeing them, which makes this visit that much more surprising. 

“Are you really that surprised to see me? After you’ve been ignoring my calls and messages all morning,” her mom says, stepping over the threshold into the apartment. Betty stands there shell shocked as her mother looks around, her eyes landing on Veronica and raising one eyebrow. Veronica, obviously shocked too, stands up and makes her way over, holding out her hand.

“Hi Mrs. Cooper, it’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m Veronica, Betty’s roommate,” Veronica says, a sweet smile on her face. Her mother looks her up and down before shaking her hand, pasting on a fake smile.

“Pleasure to meet you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to my daughter alone,” she says sternly. Veronica glances at Betty, who is standing against the now closed door, and nods hesitantly.

“Of course. Let me know if you need anything,” Veronica says, retreating to her bedroom with a small wave and Betty’s direction. It’s silent when she closes the door, Alice turning to Betty with a hard look. Betty wants to shrink and disappear into nothing, but she stands up tall and crosses her arms, staring her mother down.

“Why are you here?” she asks, getting straight to the point. 

“I want you to come home,” her mother states. Betty did not expect that, her demeanor dropping slightly.

“What? Why do you want that?” she asks, because her parents have never shown any sign that they don’t like her school. In fact, they were thrilled when Betty got accepted, throwing her a party and everything.

“Because this school and the people who go here are corrupting you, and I will not stand by and watch,” Alice tells her. Betty can’t help but laugh out loud at that, her mother’s face morphing into one of disgust. “This is not funny, Elizabeth! You come here and you’re suddenly stripping for a man in front of a camera! How is that necessary for your education?”

“Is that what this is about? Me helping a friend for his project?” Betty asks, her eyes narrowing. 

“Oh, he’s a friend? Why would a friend expose you like this, hm? Why would he force you to dress like some floozy and take pictures of you, posting them on the internet where everyone can see?” her mom shouts. 

“He didn’t force me to do anything, mom. Jughead is my  _ friend  _ and I like him and everything I have done has been  _ my  _ choice. And I’m not going to go home just because you’re not happy with my choices, because I am an adult and you cannot control me anymore,” Betty retaliates. Never in her life had she confronted her mother like that, and Alice didn’t seem to enjoy it.

“I am your mother. You are and forever will be my daughter, and I can have a say in what you do, and I say you drop this provocative act and come home,” she snaps. Betty laughs again, hysterical now, shaking her head and walking away towards her room. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”

At that, Betty spins around with such speed that it makes her mother flinch. She stands her ground though, stepping closer and closer as she speaks. “You’re not the boss of me anymore. You can’t control me anymore. I left home for that exact reason, and you will not drag me back there. This is my home now, I have friends who care more about me than you ever did.

Her mother looks shocked, and a wave of satisfaction washes over Betty. She has been wanting to say those words for years, but never had the guts to until now. And it is the greatest feeling.

“Elizabeth, you can’t-” her mother starts to say, but Betty has heard enough.

“I can, and I will. Now please, leave me alone, because I am done with this conversation,” Betty snaps. Her mother looks furious, but she turns away before she can say anything else. 

As soon as she opens her bedroom door, there’s a knock on the front door. She turns back around to look at it, and sees Veronica standing in her doorway with an apologetic look on her face. She walks to the door before Betty can, opening it to show Jughead standing there in the hallway, clad in his beanie and a worried expression. He steps inside, throwing a glance at Veronica as he steps in Betty’s direction. She can feel her mother’s confusion radiate off of her body beside her, but all Betty feels is calm. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks him, taking an instinctive step closer to him. He walks closer, avoiding looking at her mother, and reaching out to touch her forearm.

“Veronica called, sounded worried. I just finished a meeting so I ran right over. Are you…” he starts, and glances at her mother out of the corner of his eye, who is just standing there with her arms crossed. “Is everything okay?”

Betty smiles gratefully, brings her hand up to squeeze his wrist and nod her head. “It will be, as soon as she leaves.”

“Elizabeth, what-” Alice starts to say, but Betty cuts her off my holding her hand up. Jughead turns to face her, dropping Betty’s arm and extending his towards her, pasting on a smile.

“Mrs. Cooper, I’m Betty’s friend, Jughead,” he says, sounding sickly sweet. Betty can see when it clicks in her mother’s head, her gaze turning hard, eyes nearly on fire.

“So you’re the one corrupting my daughter,” she spits, squaring her shoulders back. Jughead looks horrified, raising his hands in defense and taking a step back. 

“Mom, stop it!” Betty yells, stepping in front of Jughead. Veronica is now standing at Jughead’s side, a hand on Betty’s back in a comforting way. “You cannot come into my home with these outrageous accusations. You haven’t had a say in my life since I’ve come to school here. You and dad never visit, you only call to scold me, and I’m done with it! You are my mother, not my prison warden. I’m not yours to control anymore.”

“Betty,” her mother starts, her hard demeanor falling, her eyes glassy. “Betty, you’re still my daughter. I’m still your mother, your family.”

“Maybe by blood, but this is my family now. They are here for me in ways that you never were when I was growing up,” Betty tells her. She feels another hand fall onto her shoulder, which she suspects to be Jughead’s, but she stays focused on her mother. She is staring back at Betty with a look in her eyes that shows Betty has won. Alice keeps her jaw stiff but steps back, glancing behind Betty at her two friends. They stay still as she picks up her purse, walking to the door. Her hand is on the doorknob as she turns back around to face Betty, looking at her earnestly.

“I’m staying at a hotel nearby. I’d like to talk to you when we’re both not heated up like this. Alone, too,” she says, her voice calm. Betty knows that she’s already won this battle, so she thinks it couldn’t hurt. But instead she just nods that she will think about it, and lets her mother leave.

As soon as the door closes, Betty’s knees give out, Jughead and Veronica both catching her before she can fall. She feels the tears stream down her cheeks as she’s suddenly picked up by Jughead, cradled in his arms as she cries. She hears Veronica tell him to bring her to bed and soon she’s lying on her fuzzy blanket on her bed. She curls up into herself and feels the bed dip, Jughead sliding in behind her, throwing his arm across her waist. She lets the tears stream down, even though she doesn’t know why she’s crying.

Jughead is stroking her arm when she hears Veronica walk in, and then sees her kneel down on the floor in front of her. She smiles softly, bringing her hand up to gently pet Betty’s hair. Betty’s eyes drift up to hers, Jughead’s hand a steady presence on her arm.

“I’m proud of you, B. I know it must have been hard to stand up to her, but you  _ did it.  _ You were so strong, you  _ are _ so strong,” Veronica says, stroking her hair. The tears fall at a slower pace now, almost subsided as Veronica wipes a few away with her thumb.

Taking a deep inhale of breath, Betty sits up on the bed, Jughead and Veronica’s hands falling as they watch her. Jughead props himself up on one elbow, watching Betty wipe at her eyes, sniffling as she calms down.

“Thank you for being here. Through everything,” she tells them. She turns to Jughead, who sits up when her attention is on him. “You didn’t have to come all this way, but I’m glad you did. And I’m sorry she accused you of corrupting me.”

“Don’t be sorry, I can understand her concern. And I’ll always come running when you need me.” His lips quirk into a small smile, his hand coming up to rest on her lower back. She smiles back at him, reaching one hand to place on his knee, the other taking Veronica’s hand. 

“I couldn’t ask for better friends,” she says. What she told her mother was true; these people were her family, Archie included, and she couldn’t be happier. 

“What do you say we have a movie night, hm? Order a pizza, put on our pjs, and I’ll have Archie bring over enough snacks to make us go in a food coma. And we can all fall asleep together like a giant sleepover,” Veronica says, standing up.

“That sounds great, yeah,” Betty smiles. Veronica smiles and pets Betty’s hair one more time before walking out of the bedroom, leaving her and Jughead in silence. Betty drops her gaze to the bed, sighing deeply. Jughead sits up all the way, squeezing her knee in what he hopes to be a comforting way.

“You okay?” he asks, voice low. She doesn’t answer, keeping her head down so she doesn’t have to look at his big, sad eyes. “Hey, Betts. Look at me.”

She doesn’t want to, but she also knows that he won’t allow that. She slowly raises her eyes to meet his, finding him smiling softly at her. He takes her hand with his free one, turning it over to examine her palm. She knows what he’s looking for, and he looks relieved when he doesn’t find it. 

“I’m okay, Juggie. I’m surprisingly okay,” she tells him honestly. He meets her eyes again and looks like he wants to say something, but he opts for bringing her hand up and gently pressing his lips to her knuckles.

“If you’re ever not okay, I want you to tell me, alright?” Her heart flutters in her chest at his affection, and she nods quickly. He doesn’t let go of her hand, enclosing it in both of his. He doesn’t let go as he tells her that he talked to his boss and that the article would be out soon, so she should keep an eye out for it.

He doesn’t let go until a knock on the apartment door signals Archie’s arrival. He reluctantly drops her hand with a tight squeeze and gets off of her bed, waiting for her to get up before leading her out of the room.

“Please tell me the pizza will be here soon,” Jughead says as he walks over to the couch. Archie is hauling in a few grocery bags with no help from Veronica, who is sitting on the armchair flipping through Netflix on the tv.

“I just placed the order, so twenty minutes. In the meantime you can go help your best friend with the snacks,” Veronica orders, not even glancing up.  Veronica orders, not even lifting her gaze. Looking defeated, Jughead bypasses the couch and helps Archie with the bags, mumbling something incoherent as he brings them into the kitchen. Veronica finally lifts her gaze when Betty sits down on the couch, her expression soft. “You doing okay?”

“I think maybe? Like, I stood up to her, I was fine with that. I was more upset that she assumed she knew Jughead, and that she couldn’t be more wrong. I wish he hadn’t been there to witness that either,” Betty sighs, leaning back.  Veronica stands up from her chair and sits at Betty’s side, putting an arm around her.

“Jughead saw you stand up for him, which probably means way more to him than what your mom said. So don’t worry about that,” Veronica responds, squeezing her arm. Betty nods slightly, giving a small smile in Veronica’s direction.

“Thanks for calling him, though. I don’t know why, but he calms me down,” Betty admits shyly. Veronica just smiles knowingly, rubbing her shoulder.

“Of course he does,” Veronica grins. Betty blushes under her knowing gaze, shaking her head shyly so Veronica changes the subject. “Are you going to see her?”

Betty has been thinking about that since her mother proposed it. It could be nice to talk to her, but she’s not really sure it’s the right time. 

“I don’t know if I can. I don’t really have anything to say to her anymore,” Betty says.

“Well, if you do, you know I’ll be there for moral support. I’m sure loverboy would come, too,” Veronica smirks. Betty blushes again and nudges her side right as the boys emerge from the kitchen. 

“We come bearing gifts!” Jughead announces, carrying a bowl of popcorn and a sleeve of cookies. He squeezes in between Betty and the arm of the sofa, placing the bowl in her lap with a grin. 

“What movie are we gonna watch?” Archie asks, sitting on the other side of Veronica.

“We’re watching Grease, and no one is going to complain about it because it’s one of Betty’s favorites,” Veronica says, flashing her a smile. Betty smiles back appreciatively, leaning her head on her shoulder.

“Jug has never seen it, but I grew up trying my hardest to be Danny,” Archie comments, popping a chip into his mouth. Betty stops listening as Veronica starts comparing them all to the characters, leaning more towards Jughead. He’s put his feet up on the ottoman, so Betty rests her feet on his legs, smiling at him. 

“Since when am I a piece of furniture?” he asks, jokingly.

“Since you decided to sit by me. If it’s too much I’ll stop, it’s no big deal,” Betty says, starting to lift her feet up. Jughead sticks a hand out and places it on one of her knees, stopping her movement.

“You’re fine. I want you to be comfortable,” he tells her, so Betty does just that. She shifts closer to him, centimeters away from leaning against him. He keeps the hand on her knee, almost in a protective fashion. His thumb gently strokes just below her knee cap, his attention back on the television screen. 

Veronica finally puts the movie on, the speakers blaring with the opening credits song. Betty smiles to herself, because she can’t believe how happy she is. Sitting here, nestled between her best friends, watching one of her favorites, all worries washed away; she’s happy. And she couldn’t ask for anything more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ALMOST THERE GUYS!! I really mean it this time. JUST HANG IN THERE!!!
> 
> Love you, thanks for reading   
> xx Dana


	17. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Here it is. The final chapter has arrived. Just in time for the midseason premier 
> 
> I just want to say how thankful I am for all of you for sticking with me on this crazy, slow journey. You have all made my first fic writing experience a great one, so thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you all!
> 
> I am going to miss writing this, but never fear, for I am not done writing! Keep an eye out for my future works (two in progress).
> 
> And, just because this story is done, does not mean I am gone. I am always on tumblr (totheheartsthatache) so feel free to come chat. I am always open to new friends!
> 
> Love you, and thank you,  
> xx Dana

Betty never went to her mother’s hotel like she offered. She texted her, saying she had to pick up a shift at work, and that was it. Alice called maybe a week later, just to check in on Betty, and it was a surprisingly civil conversation. Just a simple talk of how Polly and her dad were doing, some news about her hometown, and that’s really it. Nothing about her modeling, or Jughead, or the “vile” city she calls home.

After that phone call, her life went back to normal. She picked up more shifts at work, shopped with Veronica, played video games with Archie, and had two photoshoots with Jughead. One of them, her favorite one, would definitely not get the approval of her mother. They explored the city, finding rustic rooftops and vintage hotel rooms to shoot in, with Betty wearing low-cut, exposing tops and chokers-- all very provocative. 

Out of all the photoshoots, that was probably the most fun one. He had her climbing rooftops, in a safe manner, and the outfits that Veronica had chosen for her were absolutely incredible. They had the best time, spending the whole day wandering around, until it was too dark to take pictures.

His article still had not come out, and Betty could not stop impatiently asking him every time she saw him when it would come out.

“Soon,” is all he’d say, changing the topic of conversation right after. After a while she stopped asking so much, and nearly forgot about it until now.

It’s been a month since her mother’s surprise visit, and Betty is working at the coffee shop again, just a normal Friday afternoon. They are just getting through their second rush of the day when she sees Jughead walk in and stand in line. She gives him a small wave as the current customer looks over their bakery items, smiling when he pretends to tip his hat at her. 

“Oh, our dearest Romeo hath arrived,” her coworker Kevin says in her ear as the customer finishes paying. Betty wishes them a good day before she smacks his forearm, turning to him.

“Stop it Kev, he’ll hear you,” she reprimands.

“Who will hear what?” Jughead asks, stepping up to the counter. Betty’s face heats up as she turns back to him, pasting a smile on her face as she takes in his appearance. His iconic crown beanie is sitting nicely on his head, and he has his messenger bag slung across his body, probably having come from work himself.

“No one and nothing. Are you having your usual?” Betty asks, already punching it into the system.

“I come here too often I think,” Jughead smiles sheepishly. Betty laughs and shakes her head, accepting his cash.

“It’s always nice when a man knows what he wants,” Kevin says from behind her, throwing a smirk over his shoulder. Jughead laughs quietly, while Betty rolls her eyes.

“I apologize for him, he can’t hold his tongue,” Betty says, turning to Kevin to glare at him with her words. Kevin responds by blowing her a kiss and walking towards the back to the stockroom. Betty turns back to Jughead when he clears his throat, another small smile on his lips. “Sorry, I’ll bring your coffee over to you.”

Jughead goes to sit down at a table by the window, removing his bag from his shoulder and setting it on one chair. She watches for a moment as he sits down, removing his hat and setting it down on the table. She snaps out of it when he glances over at her, busying herself with pouring his coffee in a to-go cup, since he doesn’t expect him to stay long.

She walks over with the cup and places it down on the table, earning an award winning smile from Jughead in return.

“Thanks Betts,” he says, taking a sip and making a small humming noise. “Do you have a moment to sit?”

Betty glances around the shop, having now emptied after the lunch rush. There is no one in line and Kevin is back behind the counter, giving her a knowing look. “I think I can spare a minute or two,” she decides, sitting down across from him. 

“Not that busy today, then?” he asks, leaning forward on his forearms.

“A little bit. We just had a rush, but it will probably be slow for the rest of the day,” Betty tells him, leaning back in her seat. “Did you work this morning?”

“Yeah, had some editing to do. Also, that reminds me, I have something for you.” He opens his bag, digging through it before pulling something out and closing the bag. “The magazine is out in stores today, but I got you a special copy from worked. Signed by some big shot photographer they’re featuring.”

He slides a magazine across the table towards her, and Betty is met with the model on the cover. She smiles up at him and starts to open it, but is interrupted by Jughead’s hand atop the magazine.

“Don’t- not now. Read it after work when you have time,” he tells her, retracting his hand. Betty looks up into his eyes and sees a flash of worry in them, making Betty nod slightly.

“Yeah, of course. After work,” she agrees. He hesitates before nodding, leaning back in his chair with his hand firmly around his coffee cup. His leg is bouncing and he looks incredibly nervous, not keep eye contact for long, but Betty doesn’t comment on it. She simply watches as his fingers toy with his discarded hat, telling him about a customer that came in. She watches as he puts the hat on wordlessly, and only pauses her words for a brief moment before continuing. 

Eventually, Betty has to get back to work. She bids him farewell, moving a piece of hair out of his eyes, and then goes back behind the counter. She can’t help but glance at him every once in a while as she makes orders. 

“You’re staring,” Kevin suddenly says, nudging her in the back and making her jump. She spins around to face him, frowning at the wild grin he’s wearing.

“I wasn’t,” she argues, making Kevin laugh.

“Oh, you were. And now he’s leaving, so you can’t anymore,” Kevin tells her, pointing in Jughead’s direction. When she turns towards him, he’s walking towards the door with his head ducked down, bag slung over his shoulder. He looks up just as he is about to open the door to the shop, looking in Betty’s direction. Their eyes meet, and his lips quirk up in a small smile. He lifts his hand up and waves, Betty waving back as he walks out the door. She lets her hand fall back to the counter, frowning. She can’t help but feel weird at how he was acting-- all nervous and jittery. She wanted to ask, but knew it wasn’t the right time. ‘Maybe later,’ she thinks, already planning out her text in her head.

“Oh, is this loverboy’s feature?” she hears, breaking her thoughts. She turns to find Kevin holding the magazine open in his hands, paging through it. She reaches over and snatches it out of his hands, closing the magazine and setting it on the counter where she had it. 

“I’m reading it later,” Betty says. Kevin raises his eyebrows and shrugs, walking over to the counter to stand next to her. “He asked me to.”

“What, is he gonna profess his love for you in it?” Kevin jokes, picking up the magazine again to examine the front cover. Betty can’t help the blush the creeps up her neck, quickly looking away so he doesn’t notice. She doesn’t know why Jughead asked her to wait to read it, but she’s going to be a good friend and follow his orders. She just had to suppress the urge to open it until after her shift.

 

\----

 

The rest of the day went by slowly. Not many other customers came in, so Betty and Kevin passed the time doing the daily crossword puzzle and playing a random trivia game he had on his phone. It passed time, and by five o'clock they were ready to shut down. 

“Any fun plans tonight?” Kevin asks as he wipes down the tables. Betty looks up from where she’s cleaning the machine, thinking about it for a moment before shaking her head.

“My roommate will probably think of something for us to do. She’s spontaneous like that,” Betty shrugs.

“Well, I for one will be watching reruns of House Hunters and treating myself to a pint of ice cream. So I hope you have more fun than me,” Kevin says, throwing the rag over his shoulder and walking behind the counter. Betty laughs and does one last wipe down before tossing her rag at him.

“I’ll try my best,” she says. “Is everything cleaned up?”

Kevin nods, dropping the rags into the dirty bin, untying his apron and folding it up. Betty does the same, stuffing it in her bag along with the magazine. “Do you wanna lock up or should I?”

“You go ahead,” Kevin tells her. Betty smiles gratefully and slings the bag onto her shoulder, walking out from behind the counter.

“Bye Kev, have a nice weekend, I’ll see you next week!” she says as she walks towards the door with a wave. Kevin waves back, before calling out quickly.

“Let me know how the article is!”

 

\----

 

By the time Betty gets home, she’s already exhausted. Working all day is never fun for anyone, but at least she has the entire weekend to recuperate. 

Veronica is home when she walks in, sitting on the couch. She happily greets Betty, putting down her book to take her in.

“I love when you come home from work, because you always smell like coffee,” she comments, standing up to give her a hug. Betty laughs when she hears her inhale deeply, pulling out of her embrace to drop her purse onto the sofa.

“I’m there all the time, I’ve surely got coffee seeping into my skin,” Betty answers. When she first started working there, she hated how she always smelled like coffee afterwards. But now Betty has actually started to enjoy it, except today when all she wants to do is shower. 

“I think I’m gonna shower, I am so tired,” Betty voices to her roommate. Veronica nods and sits back down, picking up her book again.

“Let’s do something tonight, go out or something,” Veronica says, opening the book up to her bookmark.

“Sounds great,” she nods. “Also, Jughead dropped off his magazine with his feature in it. It’s in my bag if you want to read it.”

Veronica only nods to show she heard her, so Betty walks over to her bathroom, closing the door shut behind her. Her speaker is already in there, so she turns it on and connects her phone, deciding to go all out with this shower. She makes the water somewhere between warm and hot, turns on her relaxing playlist, and gets in. 

A hot shower is one of the best things after a long day of work. The heat relieving her tense shoulders, the music and aroma relaxing her even more. It’s a time where there are no stressors or interruptions, and she can be at complete ease-- until Veronica bursts her door open with her shrieking.

Frantic, Betty sticks her head out to see Veronica shaking the magazine wildly. “What? What’s happening?”

“Jughead  _ fucking  _ Jones is happening! Have you read this?” Veronica asks, shaking the magazine in her direction.

“No, he told me to wait until after work. Did he say something bad?” Betty asks, confused. 

“Quite the opposite actually! Just listen to this-- sorry, I interrupted your shower. Please keep washing, I’ll just read to you,” Veronica tells her, waving her hand and paging back in the magazine. Betty obeys, closing the curtain and washes out the remaining soap from her hair. 

“Okay, so in the beginning it’s just asking about how he started getting into photography and where he got his skill from,  _ blah blah blah _ . And then the interviewer asks who you are, of course, and he goes ‘ _ her name would be Betty. I met her through a Craigslist ad, and I enjoyed her company so much I stuck with her. Not to mention she’s incredibly photogenic and beautiful and I couldn’t really see myself choosing someone else.’  _ And then the interviewer agrees, of course, but my god, that’s not even the best part,

“The interviewer comments how  _ provocative  _ the photos are, and asks how that was during the shoots. And Jughead is said to ‘smirk to himself’ before answering, ‘ _ I’d like to consider myself a gentleman. And like I said, Betty is very beautiful. I’m lucky to be able to photograph her.' _  Jughead Jones is saying this Betty! Your Jughead!” 

By now, Betty has finished washing up and is just standing under the stream of water. She snaps out of it and turns the water off, reaching out to grab her fuzzy robe, putting it on before stepping out of the shower. She walks straight towards Veronica, who is holding the magazine out to her, taking it from her hands to read it herself. 

_ “INT: So, you mention you would like to further your career as a photographer, but as you know it is a tough field to succeed in. What gives that drive, makes you believe that you can do what you want to do? _

_ JJ: (after a moment of contemplation) I never had it easy during my life. I’ve already had to work harder than some to even get into school, so I’m used to not having success. But I met someone recently that has inspired me in more ways than one. They have become my rock, the person that I trust more than anything, which is not easy for me. I’ve seen them go through very difficult things, but always with a smile on their face. Yeah, it’s a competitive world, but as long as I have someone by my side telling me that I can do it, then I know that I can. They have inspired me to follow my dreams, because they never give up on anything they try to do.  _

_ INT: You speak very highly of this person, so they must be pretty important.  _

_ JJ: Well, I like them very much, and yeah, they are very important to me. It’s important to have that one person that you can go to. It’s what keeps people going, what keeps me going…” _

Betty stops reading after that, nearly dropping the magazine. She has tears clouding in her eyes as she looks up at Veronica, who's smiling softly at her. 

“How is he so eloquent?” Betty mumbles, wiping at her eyes. She’s slightly confused about the article, not really sure what to make of it. Veronica, however, looks like she knows something that Betty doesn’t.

“I think we’ll cancel whatever plans we may have had tonight. You go see your boy,” Veronica smiles. With a second thought, glancing down at her, she adds, “After you change, of course.”

Betty just nods, closing the magazine and walking out of the bedroom. Jughead’s words keep playing over and over in her head, paired with visions of his nervousness earlier this morning. She feels like she should know something, but all she can think about is how open he was in the article. She knows Jughead to be a very closed off person, so reading him admitting all these things is a shock.

She gets dressed quickly, leaving her hair down to dry, before she’s walking into the living room to grab her bag. There is a new sense of determination as she stuffs the magazine in there and slings it over her shoulder. Veronica watches her the entire time, and amused expression on her face when Betty finally stops to look at her.

“Want me to come with?” she asks, dropping her book in her lap. Betty simply shakes her head, but smiles slightly. “Okay. Well good luck, I guess. Tell him I say hi and all.”

And with that, she’s out the door. She’s decided that it’s finally time to tell Jughead Jones how she really feels, because it has gone on for long enough. Now is the time.

 

\----

 

While Jughead sat at the coffee shop with Betty, he was overcome with a sudden nervousness. She was going to read his interview later, and she was going to see him bare his feelings to the world. And he was terrified.

He played out the scenario in his mind-- how he’d tell her. He prepared an entire speech, but as he walked home from the coffee shop he forgot everything. And then the fear came back.

He has been wanting to tell Betty for nearly two months, but his fear always got the best of him. Fear of rejection, fear of scaring her away, and now fear of losing his chance. What if he waited too long and now he just looks like a fool?

He knows they have this weird, unspoken thing going on between them, but that could very well be the result of being a young adult. For her, at least. For Jughead, it’s real.

So real, that when he comes home he shuts himself away in his bedroom listening to sappy love songs and trying his hardest not to text her or call her. He knows she works all day so wouldn’t even be able to have a conversation, but if he keeps these feelings in any longer he’ll combust.

He spends hours laying on his bed, drowning out any outer noise with his music. He doesn’t hear when Archie comes home and slams some doors. He doesn’t hear when, shortly after that, a knock on the front door sounds. He doesn’t hear Archie open the door and greet whoever it is, or when he says ‘he’s sulking in his room’. He doesn’t hear anything until his bedroom door is swinging open, a wet-haired and wide eyed Betty standing in the doorway. 

Scrambling to sit up, Jughead switches off the music and turns to fully look at her. “Betty, you’re here.”

It’s not a question, and Betty just nods, walking into the room. His eyes drift down to her hands, seeing her carrying the exact magazine he gave her this morning. He freezes, looking back up at her face as his shoulders sulk, the fear washing over him again.

“I have questions,” she says, sounding a little breathless. Her face is also flushed, looking like she may have ran here from her apartment. Licking his lips, he nods and pulls the hat further down on his head. “The hat. You wear the hat when you need comfort.”

Again, it’s not a question, but Jughead feels like he’s in an interrogation room all of the sudden. He averts his eyes to the bed, not able to look into hers as he nods slowly.

“You don’t- you can take it off. I want you to take it off,” Betty whispers, and her voice sounds slightly choked up. Jughead hesitates before slowly reaching up to slide the hat off of his head, placing it on the bedside table. Betty lets out a breath of air and walks over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and facing him.

“You said you have questions,” Jughead repeats, looking back up at her. Her eyes search his face for a moment before she nods, placing the magazine on the bed.

“The person you talked about, the one that inspires you... is that-” Betty cuts herself off, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. He can sense that she’s having trouble getting the words out, so he places his hand on the magazine next to hers, staring at them both.

“It’s you, Betty. I was talking about you,” he tells her. Out of the corner of his eye he sees her head snap up to look at him, but he can’t face her yet.

“Wh- how? How do I inspire you?” she asks, and that finally makes him look up.

“Are you kidding me? Do you know how strong you are?” he asks, and she shakes her head slowly. “Betty, I’ve only known you for a short time, but I’ve never met someone as strong as you. I have seen you battle your anxiety, I’ve seen you stand up to your mom. I’ve seen you grow stronger and more confident everyday that I’ve known you. That’s why you inspire me. Because if you can do all this, anyone can.”

She lets his words sink in, her eyes turning glassy when she meets his. “Juggie, I-”

“I need to tell you something. I’ve been wanting to for a long time and I just, I need to say it now and I need to ask you not to say anything until I’m finished. Is that okay?” Jughead looks at her, looks into her wide, teary eyes. She nods slowly, bringing a hand up to wipe at her eyes. Jughead takes a deep breath and stands up, feeling the need to pace as he talks.

“When I first saw your picture, Archie teased me because I stared at it for so long. I know I said I liked how you answered the questions, but truthfully- you’re beautiful. And I’ve said that, yeah, in the article and all but...you’re so beautiful, Betty. And sometimes I wonder if the gods are playing a trick on me by sending down a literal angel to remind me I’ll be forever alone.” He pauses, breathing out a laugh and shaking his head.

“And then I met you, and I knew I couldn’t lose you. So I tried my hardest not to, by asking you to keep modelling for me. And you said  _ yes. _ I still wonder why, but you did and I’ve never been happier. And then Archie teased me even more,

“But the more he teased, the more it became reality. You are like- you’re like the moon. You have this gravitational pull, and I am the Earth just wanting to be pulled towards you, but I can’t. Because if the moon and the Earth get too close, there will be tsunamis and earthquakes and just- bad things will happen.” He chances looking up at her, pausing his pacing, but she’s staring down at her feet so he continues.

“So I pulled away. You stayed in your own orbit and I stayed in mine. Then, enter a space rover that makes its home on the moon. And the moon likes this rover a lot, and the Earth is jealous because the Earth wants to be on the moon but can’t because tsunamis. And- fuck, I’m not making any sense now am I.” He doesn’t mean it as a question, because he’s hearing his words in his mind and wants to slap himself for being an idiot.

“Forget the metaphor. What I’m trying to say is...you are my person, Betty. You are the person that I trust more than anything. You’re the person that I want to go to when I accomplish something big. You’re the person I want to bring me up when I’m down, the one I want to spend celebrations with. You’re the one, Betty. And I-” Jughead pauses, his breath catching in his throat when he looks at Betty. She’s looking up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks, but a smile on her lips. He looks into her bright eyes, finally finding the courage to say what he couldn’t before. 

“I love you...Betty Cooper,” he finally says. It feels like a weight is lifted off of his shoulders when he says it, like it was dragging him down and now he can fly away. 

And then Betty stands up. She still has a smile playing on her lips as she wipes a tear away, walking towards him. He can’t breathe, suddenly, as she stops in front of him, looking up at him with earnest eyes.

“Jughead Jones, I love you,” she says, her face impossibly bright with happiness. Jughead smiles, partially in relief and in happiness. He brings his hand up to caress her jaw, his thumb wiping off a few tears. He’s aware of how close they are, and how they’ve never been this close before. It means something in itself, because now Jughead is free to do what he’s only dreamed of before.

They lean in at the same time, Betty’s hands coming up to caress his face, and when their lips touch its soft. But then Jughead drops his hand to her neck, threading his fingers into her hair and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. He lied before--  _ this  _ makes him feel like he is flying away. 

He eventually pulls away, a little breathless as he touches their foreheads together. Her tears have now dried, but the smile is still there, wider than ever. 

“Will you go on a date with me?” he asks with a grin. Betty laughs slightly, hands dropping down to rest on his chest, her fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt.

“We’ve done this a bit backwards, but yes. I’d really love that,” Betty answers. Jughead’s smile softens, one hand dropping to her waist. He looks into her eyes while he gently strokes her jaw with his thumb.

“Moon of my life,” he whispers, and then he’s kissing her again, because he can’t get enough of it.

They don’t notice when Archie walks past the open doorway, stopping abruptly when he sees them. He watches for a moment, grinning to himself before walking away. He won’t run and tell Veronica, of course he won’t.

Except he totally will.

 

\----

 

They tell Veronica and Archie a few weeks later, after classes start.

They are having a movie night at Betty’s, but Jughead arrives late due to a work thing. He walks right in, greeting Archie and Veronica as normal. He disposes of his book bag as Betty emerges from the kitchen holding a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. She smiles when she notices him, and Jughead walks towards her to greet her. He touches his hand to her hip, mumbling a ‘ _ hey babe _ ’ and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. He freezes once he realizes what he’s done, Betty’s eyes wide. He spins around, hoping that maybe Archie and Veronica were too enveloped with each other to notice. But alas, they are staring at him with wide grins, both looking like they’ll burst from happiness.

Jughead clears his throat and takes the bowl from Betty, walking over to the couch and sitting down. They’re still staring when Betty seats herself next to him, completely silent. It’s Jughead that finally breaks the silence, not even facing them.

“We’re dating now. Don’t say anything about it,” he says, like it’s the most casual thing. He should’ve known they wouldn’t listen, of course, because he and Betty are soon both wrapped up in Veronica’s arms, the girl squealing into their ears.

“I knew this day would come and it’s better than I ever imagined!” she squeals. Jughead looks at Betty with a pained look, but she just laughs and takes his hand and hers, mouthing that it will be okay. 

And maybe, just maybe, they will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you catch the reference to my new favorite show, I love you forever and you should talk to me about it :)
> 
> xx Dana


End file.
